NEW DELHI: India and the United States will conduct joint Naval training exercises in the Indian Ocean, the minister of State for External Affairs, Eduardo Faleiro stated in Parliament on Monday while asserting that there was no charge in Indias stand on the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.

He sought to allay members comprehensions on the proposed exercises saying there was nothing new in it and the Indian Navy had been conducting such exercises with Australia and Indonesia, However, when a Rajya Sabha member asked India ever had such exercises with the est. while USSR, the Minister replied in the negative and declined to state whether exercises with the two other countries could be equipped with the one proposed. Making a statement on the recent visit of the Foreign Secretary LN Dixit to the US the minister said that the Government had taken up with the US administration the contents of Pentagon papers appearing in the press and pointed out that “these were unacceptable and objectionable.” He said the US spokesman had already said that the papers were “myopic, shallow and nota government policy.”

He asserted that there would be no compromise of any sort.as far as Super-301 was concemed. He said, “The global equations in the world might have changed but there is no change in Government of Indias stand.”

The Minister said the proposed five-nation conference to discuss security issues “will not solve any problem,” and added that regional solution was no solution to the nuclear issue. However, he evaded direct reply when asked if India would participate in the proposed conference.

In his suo Mo to statement, Falero defended the talks the Foreign Secretary had with US officials which were held “in a spirit of mutual understanding and friend lines” and added that these talks would continue

Faleiro said the so-called Pentagon paper, which was a draft out lining USAs perceptions and strategies in relation other entire world and was not a specified position paper on India and Pakistan, Quoting the paragraphs concerning India, Faleiro said the Foreign Secretary was instructed to take up these negative references to India, The Foreign Secretary conveyed our serious concerns. He was informed that this was only a draft paper prepared by middle-level Pentagon officials and would be subject to review and modification.

He said, “Indias concerns have been noted by the US and modifications would be made 10 take them into account. Foreign Secretary was categorically told that there was no perception at US policy-making levels which reflected the negative preferences off lndia contained in the Pentagon paper, Officials of both the State Department and the National Security    Council with whom Foreign Secretary raised Indias concerns, informed him that the paper does not reflect the position of the US on various issues dealt with and that it is subject to further reviews.”

He said the Foreign Secretary had strongly enveyed the Government view that through the US military relationship with Pakistan was a bilateral latter, it would naturally have consequences in terms of India’s assessments and policy orientation,

“The Foreign Secretary had reaffirmed Indias position that In would not sign the NPT “since it considered the treaty to be discriminatory, the minister said he also drew a distinction between Indias position on the NPT and her position in nuclear non-proliferation adding that India had always been against the prolifcation of nuclear weapons and her record on it was second to none. Faleiro also referred to the speech made by the Prime Minister at the Security Council on January 31 this year and Indias position on the proposed conference of the five nations when he met President Bush in New York.

He said India had defence cooperation with several friendly countries including the United States. Indo-US defence cooperation was focused on exchange of professional information and high level visits and training. In is context joint training exercises would be under taken by the Indian and US Navies which the Government felt would be useful. Faleiro said no agreement had been signed in this regard.

Faleiro told the members that India remained committed to the Indian Ocean being an area without conflict and would like to see maintenance of peace and stability in all areas of the Ocean, free from intimidation or rivalry.

Referring to the termination of Special-301 investigation against India on the issue of Intellectual Property Rights, Faleiro said the US Trade Representative had announced that an Inter-Agency Committee would be mandated to develop options for possible implementation and action if the facts so warranted, He pointed out that wade-related IPR issues were being discussed and negotiated in the GATT under the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. “It is in this context that Foreign Secretary has conveyed that Indo-US consultations could continue at the Uruguay Round to narrow down differences wherever possible.”

The Minister, however, evaded direct replies to the certain queries raised by members in the Rajiv’s Sabha. The Lok Sabha members also demanded a detailed discussion on the “entire gamut of Indo US relations.”

Most members from the Left parties and some Janata Dal members in Lok Sabha expressed their apprehensions and demanded a full discussion. They alleged that the Indian Government was acting under pressure from   Nirmal Chatterjee (CPI-M) said the Government had now decided not to export rice to Cuba under pressure from the US Government. He wanted the minister to clarify. Malini Bhattacharya (CPI-M) asked at whose cost the narrowing of differences the issue of intellectual Property Rights taking place.

Reacting to the demand for a full discussion from Saif ud din Chaudhary (CPI M) had party Teague, Basudeb Acharya and Ram Vilas Paswam (JD) and others, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affair P. R. Kumaramangalam said it would be taken up at the Business Advisory Committee.

In the Rajya Sabha, several members sought clarifications on the ministers _ statement, Yashwant Sinha (SIP) sought to know the “level” at which the Pentagon document. was prepared, He said that if India had decided not to sign the NPT, why was it proposing to participate in the five-nation conference, Kapil Verma (Cong) said that the United States had turned a Nelsons eye to the Pakistan nuclear program.

S Jaipal Reddy (JD) demanded the response of the US govern ment to the stand taken by India He also sought to know Indias stand on the Dunket proposals: Subramanian Swamy JP said that civil servants should not be denigrated in the House. He also said.

 

Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1992