The Hindu : Terrorism will dominate Musharraf-Bush talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 21, 2003

International

International

Terrorism will dominate Musharraf-Bush talks

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington June 20. With the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, scheduled to arrive here early next week for his high profile meeting with the President, George W. Bush, at Camp David on Tuesday, the general expectation is that several issues are high on the agenda — political, economic and military.

The Washington Post, in a front page story on `Reshaping Pakistan along religious lines'' argues that officials of the Bush administration remain "deeply concerned'' about Islamabad's support to Islamic militants fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir; and the use of Pakistan's border areas by resurgent elements of the Taliban fighting the American-backed forces in Afghanistan. "Both topics are likely to figure prominently in talks between Musharraf and President Bush scheduled for Tuesday at Camp David'', The Post has reported.

To say that issues of cross border terrorism will figure next week would only be stating the obvious even as this Republican administration is all set to give a pat to Gen. Musharraf for his role in "fighting" international terrorism. For his part Mr. Bush is likely to stress once again, and privately, that Islamabad and Gen. Musharraf have to translate words into action as it pertains to the Line of Control.

The argument of Gen. Musharraf that "nothing'' is happening across the Line of Control has basically few takers in this town. One issue that Gen. Musharraf is keen to bring up is that of the F-16 aircrafts.

This is something that the Pakistani leader has been quite vocal about and not just in the recent past. Although one refrain here has been that "he can press all he wants but he is not going to get it'', the fact remains that Gen. Musharraf is expected to raise the topic; and it really does not matter if this Bush administration does not intend to raise the topic.

The Republican administration has been reminded several times in the past of the implications of starting any major military supplies pipeline with Pakistan.

Almost invariably these weapons have been used against India, Washington has been told many times. Leaving aside the issue of F-16s which the administration here may not be too eager to kick up a controversy domestically with Congress and with India, the question is in the kind of checks the United States will be having for supplying other weapons to Pakistan that are ostensibly going to "fight'' terrorism.

Gen. Musharraf has a critical economic component in his Washington/Camp David agenda and getting the nearly $ 2 billion debt write-off tops the agenda to be followed on other issues of trade and the readjustment of quotas in the realm of textiles.

A lot of attention is also there on the democracy front with much of the focus on the kind of things Mr. Bush will say to Gen. Musharraf.

As it is, there is a concern that the "pat in the back'' for his role in "fighting" terrorism, coupled with no serious message on the democracy front could let Gen. Musharraf off the hook; and worse give him further "ideas''.

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