The Hindu : Fernandes downplays threat of war

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 01, 2002

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Fernandes downplays threat of war

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE May 31. The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, today downplayed the threat of war in South Asia by saying that Indian and Pakistani troops had been facing each other on the border for the past six months but there had not been "any incident".

Mr. Fernandes, who met the U.S. Deputy Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, for more than an hour, told The Hindu: "For the last nearly six months, our troops are there (on the border). Pakistani troops are also there. And there hasn't been any incident, which has triggered any hostilities. Therefore, one need not be worried on this count."

Earlier, talking to presspersons, he referred to the fact that Indian and Pakistani troops had been in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation for the past six months. "So, I don't think one need worry just now about what's likely to happen."

In brief remarks to the press, Mr. Wolfowitz said that the U.S. was "very much opposed to cross-border terrorism" when asked whether Pakistan's support for the battle against Al-Qaeda was restricting Washington from putting greater pressure on the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, to end cross-border terrorism. However, he hastened to add that Washington did not believe that war was the solution. "War in the subcontinent has the potential to do untold damage to India, to Pakistan, to the whole world."

Mr. Wolfowitz felt that the tension had come at a particularly "tragic time" because the U.S. had inaugurated a "new year" of relations with not just Pakistan, but also India.

Referring to his meeting with Mr. Wolfowitz, Mr. Fernandes said the discussions were focussed on the situation prevailing in South Asia. "He wanted to know the latest situation and that was conveyed to him."

To a question on what more the U.S. could do to put pressure on Pakistan, Mr. Fernandes said, "It is U.S. generosity in releasing funds from the IMF, World Bank and from other similar agencies that keeps Musharraf going. To make such funds available when the person talks of a jehad against India and using the nuclear weapon and has no qualms in exporting terrorists to India is something on which we need to ponder and take appropriate steps."

Asked if he was advocating an American economic squeeze on Pakistan, he said that if the coalition against terrorism wanted to live by the commitments it gave to the world, then that was the least it could do. To a question if India was amenable to a reported British suggestion to deploy an international monitoring force on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), Mr. Fernandes said, "There is enough evidence that has been presented to the whole world and (the) U.S. has similar evidence of the manner in which terrorists are crossing." On the latest attack in Doda district, he said no "special agency" was required to ascertain whether terrorists were coming in or not.

Mr. Fernandes, who arrived in Singapore from New Delhi this morning, also met the Philippine Defence Secretary, Angelo Reyes, the Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Tony Tan, the Malaysian Defence Minister, Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, and a delegation of U.S. Senators and Congresspersons.

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