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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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Asking India to talk to Pakistan is like US talking to Saddam: Indian FM NEW DELHI, March 29 (AFP) - Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said Saturday advice from the United States to India to resume dialogue with Pakistan was like asking Washington to talk to Saddam Hussein. "Advice to India about resuming dialogue with Pakistan in the aftermath of the killings of Hindus in Kashmir this week was just as gratuitous and misplaced as we asking them to open a dialogue with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein," Sinha said in an interview with the BBC. Earlier this week US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said dialogue was a critical element in the normalization of relations between India and Pakistan. His remarks came as the US and countries around the world condemned a militant attack on Sunday in which 24 Hindus were massacred in southern Kashmir. New Delhi has alleged Pakistani involvement in the incident, a claim refuted by Islamabad, which has called for an independent investigation. India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring militants who have been carrying out a 14-year insurgency against Indian rule in Kashmir, while Pakistan says it merely provides moral support. Kashmir is divided into Indian and Pakistani controlled zones and is claimed in full by both countries. India says more than 37,500 people have been killed in the unrest since 1989. The global war on terrorism will be unsuccessful unless the United States puts pressure on Pakistan to end "cross-border terrorism" in Kashmir, Sinha said. He welcomed a joint statement by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Thursday which called on Pakistan to check the infiltration of Islamic rebels into Indian-Kashmir. "Pakistan should also do its utmost to discourage any acts of violence by militants in Kashmir," it added. "This statement is more reflective of the situation on the ground and takes into account India's long standing concerns," Sinha said. "There are times when the international community takes into account India's concerns and puts pressure on Pakistan. For some time it has the desired effect. "But as soon as the international attention wavers from this region, Pakistan starts again," he said. On the war in Iraq, Sinha denied media reports that India had refused three times to give help to the US, saying "no help was asked and none was offered." Sinha said India was unequivocally opposed to the war, but said: "What we have done is not use harsh language in our resolution on the war. "We are neither pro-US nor pro-Iraq ... Our policy should be pro-India". |
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