Date:13/08/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/13/stories/2003081302021200.htm

National

'Cross-border terrorism must be stopped'

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI AUG. 12. The visiting Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Anatoliy Zlenko, today said that cross-border terrorism "must be stopped" to enable India and Pakistan to peacefully settle all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, between them.

Delivering a lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs, Mr. Zlenko said the Kashmir issue should be resolved "by direct bilateral talks" between India and Pakistan on the basis of the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

In a bid to bolster defence cooperation, he said that Ukraine had offered to jointly develop a mid-range Antonov-70 transport aircraft. "It is a unique aircraft that can lift up to 47 tonnes of cargo and needs just (a) 700-metre runway for take-off — three times less than (the) similar size Boeing 737. Our partner in this project is Russia, a good friend and ally of India," he said.

Revealing that his country was part of the U.S.-led "stabilisation force" in Iraq, Mr. Zlenko linked this to his country's support for the "peace process" in West Asia. "Our soldiers will protect humanitarian cargo, provide security for civilians and take part in mine clearance and infrastructure restoration... We believe it is vital that the establishment of the Governing Council in Iraq will be followed by a constitutional process leading to the restoration of sovereignty as quickly as possible."

Referring to the new realities in world politics, Mr. Zlenko claimed that "fundamental cornerstones" of international relations like national sovereignty and territorial integrity seemed to be in question. "It became even more evident as the world was facing the Iraqi dilemma... We believe that such (an) unique and universal institution as the United Nations must remain at the core of multilateral diplomacy."

Favouring the reform of the United Nations Security Council, he said that the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America were under-represented in the Council. "At the same time, we believe that one seat for (the) Eastern European Group of States — which have nearly doubled since the Berlin Wall fell — is no longer adequate."

During his visit, Mr. Zlenko met the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, as well as the Defence Minister, George Fernandes.

In remarks to presspersons, Mr. Sinha said that two important agreements — on cooperation in the field of tourism and on mutual protection of classified information — were signed today by the two countries. He said that he discussed bilateral, regional and international issues with his Ukrainian counterpart. "We hold similar views on several important issues. We agree that the menace of international terrorism has to be fought by the international community collectively."

For his part, Mr. Zlenko maintained that Ukraine had stopped the supply of military equipment to Pakistan.

Ukraine and Pakistan had signed a deal for the supply of T-90 tanks.