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UK toes Indian line on Kashmir

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The United Kingdom today towed the Indian line on Kashmir by emphasising the importance of restraint and dialogue, but stressed that India must sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook met External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh this morning for a lengthy meeting that began around 1130 hours IST and concluded at 1500 hours IST.

Both Cook and Singh then addressed the press where each spoke of India and Britain's historic relationship.

Coming in the wake of United States President Bill Clinton's successful tour of India, Cook's visit further confirmed that chill in India's ties with the Western world in the aftermath of the nuclear explosions in May 1998 was ending.

Western countries, along with Japan, had imposed economic sanctions on India after the nuclear tests.

However, the mainstream Western countries have slowly but surely moved away from that hardline position.

Before Cook's visit to India, a German Foreign Ministry official had visited India on April 12 and met Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh.

Also, President K R Narayanan is currently on a state visit to France, the first ever by an Indian president to that country.

"With the US, the UK, France (all three permanent members of the United Nations Security Council) and Germany changing their position on India, we can safely say that India has opened a new chapter in its relations with these countries," said a senior diplomat.

When Cook was asked about Resolution 1172 (which imposes sanctions on India) he replied that he hoped it would soon be lifted "if India showed some movement on the CTBT."

Another point that has gone down well with the officials in the Ministry of External Affairs is that on the vital issue of Kashmir, all the countries mentioned above have endorsed India's position calling for restraint (read no cross-border terrorism) and dialogue (read bilateral talks).

Cook clearly endorsed this view when he said "serious dialogue requires real restraint."

"The only way forward (on Kashmir) is through dialogue and through creating positive political conditions in Kashmir," he said.

In reply to a question, he stated that UK would not be mediating on the Kashmir issue. "Before we can offer to help, we have to be invited," he said.

Cook also said his country backed Clinton's statements that the Line of Control must be respected by all and that the modern world does not permit boundaries to be redrawn in blood.

The British foreign secretary said that the UK saw India as a natural contender for a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

Jaswant Singh said that all issues of disarmament would have to be resolved through discussions and said the two countries had discussed the matter.

The Indian foreign minister added that he had forwarded Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's invitation to British Prime Minister Tony Blair to visit India. "I have asked Mr Cook to make it an early date," he said.

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