NEW DELHI: India has turned down a US offer to do something to initiate a bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan.

At a meeting between the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, ‘Ms. Robin Raphel, and the Secretary West in the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. V.K. Grover, on Nov.13, India told the visiting American official that “we do not envisage third Party involvement” in bilateral matters.

The offer came when Ms. Raphel Urged both India and Pakistan to engage dialogue on bilateral issues, Mr. Grover responded that India was willing to hold bilateral talks with Pakistan on all issues without any Pre conditions.

He regretted that “we have not seen any willingness on the part of Pakistan to engage in such talks.” Mr. Grover briefed the US official on the situation in Kashmir and explained that the government was determined to restore normalcy by defeating Pakistani inspired militancy.

India reiterated its strong concern ‘over the Brown Amendment, which allowed the supply of arms worth $368 million to Pakistan and drew the Attention of Ms. Raphel to the strong feelings it had evoked in India. However, the two sides agreed that the decision should not be allowed to come in the way of bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual benefit, such as trade and investment. There should be more bilateral visits to strengthen Cooperation in those areas, the two sides.

Mr. Grover and Ms. Raphel discussed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), now under negotiation in Geneva, but there were differences on how the Treaty should be framed, other issues covered during the talks included a bilateral extradition treaty, current talks on civil aviation cooperation in science and technology. On Afghanistan, although the two sides expressed support for UN of forts to bring peace, India expressed its deep concern over the Taliban militia’s attempts to dislodge the Rabbani government in Kabul.

Mr. Grover said the Taliban had been created, trained and armed by Pakistan and warned that the militia’s fundamentalist ideology would have spillover effect in the entire region.

He said Pakistan was using the Taliban of remove the government in Kabul and cautioned against the threat to peace that such a move could cause in South Asia.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 17, 1995