The Hindu : No parallel between Iraq & Kashmir, says U.S.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 05, 2003

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No parallel between Iraq & Kashmir, says U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington APRIL 4. Even while recognising the ``very serious nature'' of the situation in Kashmir, the Bush administration says that attempts to draw parallels between Iraq and Kashmir are ``wrong and overwhelmed by the differences'' between them; and that the circumstances that made the coalition military action necessary in Iraq did not apply to the sub-continent.

``Indian officials have recently speculated that U.S. pre-emptive action in Iraq could be seen as a justification of similar action by India against Pakistan over Kashmir. Any attempts to draw parallels between the Iraq and the Kashmir situations are wrong and overwhelmed by the differences between them,'' a State Department official told The Hindu.

``Iraq invaded, occupied and brutalised Kuwait in 1990. The international community came together to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991. A decade earlier, Iraq attacked another neighbour Iran and used chemical weapons in that war. The Iraqi Government had used chemical weapons to kill thousands of its own people,'' the official argued.

``The U.S. and its coalition allies have taken action against Iraq only after 12 years of U.N. Security Council resolutions, including UNSC 1441 which was passed 15 to 0, failed to achieve Iraq's disarmament. The circumstances that made coalition military action necessary in Iraq do not apply in the sub-continent and should not be considered a precedent,'' the official said.

``The U.S. recognises the very serious nature of the situation in Kashmir. Our joint statement last week with the United Kingdom made clear our repugnance at the killing of innocents that have been taking place in Kashmir with alarming frequency,'' the official said.

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