The Hindu : U.S., Russia to work jointly on standoff

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 07, 2002

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U.S., Russia to work jointly on standoff

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW JUNE 6. Russia and the United States will work together to defuse the India-Pakistan crisis, the Kremlin has said. In a telephonic conversation on Thursday, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the U.S. President, George W. Bush, "confirmed their shared stand on the settlement of the Indo-Pakistani conflict and their resolve to continue coordinated efforts to avoid escalation of the conflict and to normalise relations between India and Pakistan,'' the Interfax news agency quoted the Kremlin press service as saying. Mr. Putin briefed Mr. Bush on his talks in Almaty with the leaders of India and Pakistan, the press service said.

Meanwhile, there are indications that Russia may not object to India's military operation against terrorist bases across the Line of Control if infiltrations from Pakistan continue, and a consensus can be built among the major world powers on the issue. And whether the military option in the relations between India and Pakistan is exercised will depend on "how far Islamabad is able to control the situation at home,'' the Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Ivanov, in Brussels for the first Russia-NATO council meeting, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

Though Russia has repeatedly expressed its solidarity with India on the issue of cross-border terrorism, it is the first time a senior member of the leadership has suggested that Moscow views military action by India as a legitimate option.

Mr. Ivanov told Russian television that Moscow was "closely coordinating'' its actions with the United States and China to defuse the Indo-Pakistani tension.

``None of these countries takes any steps without first consulting with the others.''

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