Date:30/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/03/30/stories/2005033012771100.htm

National

U.S. starting arms race in South Asia: Jaswant Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 29. The former External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, today charged the U.S. Government with promoting the ``commercial interests of its industrial-military complex'' and starting ``an arms race in South Asia'' by deciding to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan and offering F-16s and F-18s to India.

At a press conference, Mr. Singh said the U.S.-Pakistan F-16 agreement was of 1980s vintage and it was held in abeyance by successive American governments principally on grounds of ``WMD (weapons of mass destruction) proliferation'' and ``terrorism promotion'' by Pakistan.

The U.S. State department, therefore, needs to let the world know what has changed its earlier assessment of Pakistan ``notwithstanding the A.Q. Khan, Iran, North Korea and such other matters'' that are now public knowledge.

Modi issue

Mr. Singh denied that the change in the Bharatiya Janata Party's approach to the United States — as evident today from his harsh criticism — had anything to do with the denial of a visa by Washington to the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. ``I do believe that India and the U.S. have a relationship that is multifaceted and which needs to be promoted and nurtured ... there is no change in that approach ... but on the visa issue, it was not a question of one individual, but of India's internal affairs. We do not need international referees and we need to learn no lessons in human rights from any other country. We will settle our internal problems ourselves.''

``Discordant voices''

Mr. Singh expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of the F-16s issue by the Government of India. His charge was that conflicting statements and ``discordant voices'' had come from the Prime Minister's Office, the External Affairs Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

At the same time, he put on record the BJP's ``disappointment'' that the status of a ``major non-NATO ally'' was conferred on Pakistan by the U.S. on another occasion immediately after the then Secretary of State, Colin Powell, visited the sub-continent when the BJP was the major partner in the ruling National Democratic Alliance Government.

He suggested that it may not be just a coincidence that both then and now, immediately after visits by Secretaries of State, announcements were made conferring non-NATO ally status on Pakistan on the first occasion and promising to complete the F-16 deal with Pakistan on this recent visit.

While acknowledging that it was the ``sovereign right'' of countries to buy or sell whatever military hardware they choose, India had to assess the attendant consequences for itself. He also wondered, in this context, why then the U.S. ``feels troubled'' when the European Union countries sell arms to China. ``What is sauce for the goose is surely sauce for the gander,'' he commented.

While buying fighter aircraft, the decision could not be on the basis of numbers of jets to be bought. ``No country in the world can afford the kind of technically diversified squadrons we have — MiGs, Sukhois, Jaguars, Mirages, AJTs, LCAs and now F-16s or F-18s?'' He pointedly said continuity of supply was an important issue and India needed to think carefully whether or not it wanted the F-16s / F-18s.