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Four-nation exercise against proliferation

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Sept. 16. An anti-proliferation military exercise at sea has been conducted off the Australian coast under the U.S.-led "Proliferation Security Initiative'' (PSI).

The Australian Defence Minister, Robert Hill, announced the successful completion of the war-like game that was held over the weekend. The training operation was carried out by Australia, Japan, the United States and France, with varying levels of participation by each of these countries. The maritime exercise also involved the participation, albeit as observers, by Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The primary objective of the "Exercise Pacific Protector'' maritime drill is to train, to interdict and inspect suspect vessels belonging to or chartered by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or the North). The stated game plan is to prevent the illegal transfer of weapons of mass destruction or their precursors from or to North Korea. The broader objective is spelt out as the interdiction of any country's vessels in its proliferation tracks.

The future plans for similar exercises include the interdiction of suspect carriers in the sky. While China has already voiced concern over the legality and utility of such military plans, India has been sounded by the PSI prime movers for joining the initiative. Even as India has stated its position against the tendencies of such "exclusive groupings'' to "set the law'' without "taking on board'' the concerns of other countries in this regard, China has said that consultations and dialogue, rather than such military methods, would be best suited to addressing the issue of non-proliferation.

At a press conference on board HMAS Melbourne, Mr. Hill said Japan had played a critical part in the exercise over the weekend. Japan was "wrestling with (the) challenges very effectively'' in order to contribute to the PSI programme in line with that country's legal system of pacifism, Mr. Hill said.

For all other participants too, there were some aspects of international law to consider.

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