India has not 'openly' deployed missiles: Robin Raphel

C K Arora in Washington

Virtually denying last week's article in the Washington Post, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Robin Raphel has acknowledged that India has not 'openly' deployed its missiles.

Speaking at a conference on nuclear non-proliferation organised by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Monday, Raphel praised both India and Pakistan for showing restraint in nuclear and missile spheres.

She said India had not conducted any nuclear test since 1974. Neither India nor Pakistan had declared that they were nuclear powers. They did not share their nuclear technology with others. Nor did they resort to 'open deployment' of missiles.

Raphel said there had been ''restraints on the part of both India and Pakistan in a very fundamental way. We recognise this and want to build on that.''

James B Steinberg, deputy assistant to President Clinton for national security affairs, said India and Pakistan had acquired nuclear and missile capabilities and 'continue to expand their programmes, although each side has avoided acknowledging its capabilities and deploying such weapons.'

"Near term political solution to proliferation in South Asia is unlikely," he added.

Steinberg, however, said "There are hopeful signs that the new governments in Delhi and Islamabad are genuinely interested in pursuing dialogue and improving bilateral relations which may reinforce the de facto restraints both sides are observing."

The United States, he said, would continue to encourage India and Pakistan to settle their differences at the negotiating table.

"We also continue to urge both sides to move in the right direction on the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) and the fissile material cut-off treaty and to freeze and eventually eliminate their nuclear and missile arsenals," he added.

Earlier dealing with the Clinton administration's approach to South Asia, Raphel ruled out the possibility of any kind of US mediation in India-Pakistan bilateral problems which include the 50-year-old Kashmir dispute.

"In our view, there is no direct role for the US in any mediatory capacity," she added.

She, however, said the United States looked forward to helping New Delhi and Islamabad in a discreet manner in dealing with their outstanding problems.

Raphel made this statement in the presence of Pakistan Ambassador Riaz Khokar who had earlier made a strong case for some kind of external intervention, involving the US and others to nudge India into discussing substantive issues, including Kashmir.

Raphel did not share Khokar's lack of enthusiasm for the recently resumed dialogue between India and Pakistan.

"Prospects for a serious dialogue between India and Pakistan are now better than a decade ago," she said.

Asked to explain the rationale for her optimism, she said the situation had undergone a 'fundamental change' in South Asia after the end of the Cold War. The main contributory factor was the introduction of economic liberalisation in India and Pakistan, offering new incentives to both countries.

India, she said, could look for the entry into new groupings like that of the Pacific Rim nations. Pakistan currently faced economic distress. Moreover, other countries had resolved their disputes or were in the process of doing so. It was now time for the South Asian nations to set their region in order, she felt.