Sunday, Jun 29, 2003
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By Amit Baruah
There was a guarded welcome to Gen. Musharraf's remarks at his recent press conference with the U.S. President, George W. Bush, that no cause justified terrorism. However, the view was that the General had stepped back from this position in subsequent remarks to the press. The indication that India is not averse to an "eventual" meeting with Gen. Musharraf does reflect a certain softening of approach towards him. It is also, perhaps, a recognition of the fact that the "real" interlocutor in Pakistan is not the Prime Minister, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, but Gen. Musharraf himself. In a recent television interview, the General had said that he would introduce himself into the Jamali-Vajpayee contact process. Explaining the Government's recent formulation on Tibet, the sources said that India had merely conceded that the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) was part of the People's Republic of China. The word "China" was not used in the joint declaration, which the sources saw as a significant "non-concession". The Tibet dispute, the sources said, was one between China and the Dalai Lama. There was considerable negotiation on the final phraseology of the formulations on both Tibet and Sikkim; one particular formulation desired by China on Tibet was not used. On Sikkim, it was expected that "further steps" on the issue from China would follow. In the next few months, the Chinese position on Sikkim would become clear. About the role of the "special representatives" vis-a-vis the boundary dispute, the sources said the "mandate" had been clearly defined. The introduction of a political element — in the form of Special Representatives — into the boundary question was first suggested by Mr. Vajpayee as Foreign Minister way back in 1979. At that time, there was no response to the proposal. During the talks earlier this week with the Chinese leadership in Beijing, the proposal was made again by Mr. Vajpayee. The assessment is that China, like India, is keen on a forward movement and on reaching a possible compromise on the entire boundary dispute. Asked whether India had raised its concerns over the alleged supply of missiles to Pakistan, the sources replied in the negative. If India-China relations improved it would automatically have an impact on China-Pakistan relations," the sources said.
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