The Hindu : No aftermath in U.S. on 'no-troops' decision: Blackwill

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 18, 2003

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No aftermath in U.S. on 'no-troops' decision: Blackwill

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI July 17. There is no "residue", no "aftermath" in Washington to the Indian decision not to send its troops to Iraq in response to an American request, the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to India, Robert D. Blackwill, said today.

He was addressing a meeting at the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Asked if India could send troops in the future, Mr. Blackwill said that New Delhi had made it clear that its forces could be sent only under an explicit United Nations mandate.

Mr. Blackwill, who leaves India this month-end, said that it all depended on what happened in Washington and at the U.N. "We didn't pressure the Government of India on sending troops... this is the opinion of the Deputy Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister."

In his view, there had been a "serious and sustained" discussion on the "basis of equality" between India and the U.S. on the troops' question. Washington had "obviously hoped" that India would take a "different decision". "But the transformation of U.S.-India relations that I am describing will not be affected in the slightest by this particular outcome of India's governmental democratic process."

The disagreements on Iraq had been managed with "sensitivity and skill" by India and the U.S. "It is no surprise that these two great democracies with their dissimilar histories, their unlike political constituencies, and their current, somewhat contending, perceptions of how best to deal with the challenge of bringing democracy to a stable and viable Iraq, should not yet have come to a meeting of minds."

"But this time, contrary to the dismal decades of the Cold War, we have disagreed in our official exchanges concerning Iraq without vitriol, without accusation, and without inflamed rhetoric.

"Instead, we always speak to one another regarding Iraq with respect, and in the context of our burgeoning bilateral ties. That...is another important example of the increasing maturity of the transformed U.S.-India relationship," Mr. Blackwill said.

There had been a radical change in the American approach to India. "No longer does Washington regard India as an acute and abiding proliferation risk that must be carefully managed and constantly lectured."

"No longer does the U.S. fixate on India's nuclear weapons and missile programmes. No more constant American nagging nanny on these subjects...in short, the Bush administration perceives India as a strategic opportunity for the United States, not as an irritating recalcitrant."

Referring to the global war against terrorism, Mr. Blackwill said: "We must get the terrorists before they get us." Defeating terrorism was a matter of survival for India and the U.S.

There was need to "clearly name" those responsible for terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, New Delhi or Srinagar. "These murderers are not misunderstood idealists. They are not disadvantaged dissidents. They are not religious perfectionists. And, they are not freedom-fighters. They are terrorists, and we should not fail to call them exactly that."

Asked why the U.S. was providing funds to Pakistan when the roots of terrorism "lay" in that country, Mr. Blackwill said the U.S. was working on this problem. There had been constant exchanges with Pakistan on the issue, including during the recent visit of the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, to Camp David. The U.S. would not lose stamina in addressing this issue. On defence cooperation, Mr. Blackwill said that American warships were routinely refuelling in Chennai and Mumbai. "We are in the planning stages for a fighter-aircraft exchange."

"In U.S. defence sales to India, we have gone from zero to almost $200 million in the past 14 months, and are poised for a far more ambitious interaction in this field, including the possible purchase of defensive nuclear, biological and chemical equipment, special forces gear, and P3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft."

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