NEW DELHI: Canada sought and obtained an assurance from India that no second nuclear test in Pokhran was. being planned as a precondition for Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s visit to Bombay, New Delhi and Agra, beginning on next Tuesday.
Highly placed sources in the Indian Government said that the Canadians made it clear shortly after media reports in the US about a second Indian nuclear test that it would create serious foreign policy problems for Mr. Chretien back home if India went ahead with such a test after his high-profile visit. Canada has a strong anti-proliferation lobby. Besides, India’s first nuclear test in 1974 caused serious bilateral problems between Ottawa and New Delhi because the Canadians suspected that plutonium used for that test was extracted from a nuclear reactor supplied to this country by Canada.
The importance attached by Canada to nonproliferation is underlined by the fact that since then, no Canadian prime minister has visited India, Mr. Chretien’s visit, the first by a Canadian head of government in quarter of a Century, is considered to be a turning point in reviving the bilateral relationship.
Government sources said New Delhi had no difficulty in giving the assurance sought by Canada because India ‘was not planning any test in Pokhran, The assurance was sought and given orally through diplomatic channels as part of the advance preparations for Mr, Chretien’s visit.
Sources said Canada may have been prompted to seek such an assurance following a firm, but polite letter by Primo Minister P.V, Narasimha Rao, to Mr, Chretien last month.
In this letter, Mr, Rao told Mr, Chreticn in almost as many words that India’s missile policy and security considerations were none of ‘Canada’s business and India was the sole judge of threats to its security and of any decision by New Delhi to deploy missiles. Mr. Rao told Mr. Chretien in his reply to a communication from the Canadian prime minister after the Halifax summit of the G7 group of nations in June made references to Kashmir, India’s missile deployment and the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT).
Mr. Chretien’s letter to Mr. Rao, which Indian officials are treating as a demarche had created considerable resentment in New Delhi as being gratuitous advice. Mr. Rao sat on this letter for several months before replying just before full details of Mr. Chretien’s visit were finalized.
The precondition of an assurance ‘On a nuclear test, meanwhile, appears to have created its own difficulties for the Canadians in putting together the huge delegation which Mr. Chretien is bringing to India.
As last as Friday, no official list had been released in Ottawa of the delegation which is travelling with the prime minister, Ralph Klein, the Prime Minister of Alberta province, who was. originally scheduled to join the team, has dropped out attributing his decision to delays in announcing details.
The head of Yukon territory, Mr. John Oshtashek, had earlier said he would not join the delegation since it was not clear to him if representatives from all the provinces were going with Mr, Chretien.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 10, 1996
