WASHINGTON: Almost unnoticed In the excitement over other issues President Bill Clinton at his joint press conference last week took the wind out of the sails of the anti-Indian elements in the U.S by joining Narasimha Rao in denying the allegations against India.  The Official transcript reproduced by the U.S. Information Agency for worldwide distribution and in all its regional services Shows these questions and answers. Question? Mr. Prime Minister there are widespread allegations of Indian human rights violations in Kashmir. Are they true?

Prime Minister Rao’s, no. They are not true

Clinton who had earlier received a letter signed by 42 Congressmen making these allegations joined in the denial echoing Raos no

Laughter Then Applause when Clinton said no. there was first Laughter and then applause.

This gesture plus the passage of the joint statement that the goal of non-proliferation must be the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction (and not merely the weapons in the hands of the Third World) now lay a sound basis for Indo American cooperation in the economic and other spheres where they have so much in Common according to analysts. Raos Opposition When asked about Raos opposition to the signing of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) the U.S. official was not certain whether it came up during the Clinton-Rao private meeting the official however said: the U.S. had not made the NPT as the focus in trying to engage India in non-proliferation issues. We have jot of other more dynamic issues that we are trying to discuss with them

Private Meeting; He said the two leaders talked about human rights in Kashmir at their private meeting. Clinton at his joint press conference with Rao had admitted dis: agreement between New Delhi and Washington on the human nights and non-proliferation issues.

The senior U.S. official however said the dynamism in the Indo-U.S relationship was that Americans were more interested in India now as an economic player. Therefore that was creating a larger constituency in this country for a relation: ship with India He said the overall relationship was much broader than Kashmir human rights and non-proliferation and the issues which had divided them.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 27, 1994