Handling sensitive issues

JOHN CHERIAN

ALTHOUGH Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cancelled his trip to Durban in the last minute and consequently the much awaited meeting between the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers did not materialise, there seems to have been some forward movement in Durban with regard to the resumption of a bilateral dialogue between the subcontinental neighbours. Meeting on the sidelines, the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Secretaries, K. Raghunath and Shamshad Ahmad, agreed on the modalities for resuming the dialogue. They held prolonged discussions in Durban, sometimes lasting into the night.

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra told correspondents in Durban that "an understanding has been reached, differences have been resolved and final instructions will be given by the two Prime Ministers at their meeting in New York on September 23 at the time of the U.N. General Assembly session." Mishra gave no details and said that more information about the modalities would be provided in New York when Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif meet.

TIM ZIELENBACH/ AP
President Nelson Mandela greets Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz met Vajpayee informally in Durban. Aziz also had a formal meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs Vasundhara Raje Scindia. On this occasion he expressed optimism that the Vajpayee-Sharif meeting in New York would be fruitful.

The absence of bilateral dialogue, coupled with the worldwide fallout of the nuclear explosions conducted by the two countries, has turned international focus on the subcontinent. In Durban, clearly both countries were isolated on the nuclear issue. Stalling on the matter of talks has been costly for India as it has made nations and organisations call for third party intervention. Besides, the nuclear tests have brought the Kashmir issue to the fore. The Clinton administration has been working overtime to draw linkages between Kashmir and the nuclear issue, harping on the point that India and Pakistan share one of the most volatile borders in the world. The escalation of firing along the Line of Control has not helped the images of the countries either.

Ironically, the two countries cooperated behind the scenes to water down tough references regarding nuclear proliferation in the draft NAM resolution. They were helped along in this task by Egypt and Iran. Some countries, notably South Africa and Indonesia, have been openly critical of the sub-continental nuclear tests and have expressed the view that the tests would trigger an arms race in the region. They were also of the opinion that the tests had weakened NAM's position on the issue of nuclear disarmament. But after four days of protracted negotiations, NAM refrained from condemning the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan gave a "positive commitment" that they would henceforth exercise restraint on nuclear matters concerning the South Asian region.

Significantly, both countries gave assurances to NAM that they would adhere to the important provisions of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). This is seen as an indication that the nuclear bravado exhibited earlier by New Delhi and Islamabad have dissipated. Indeed, both India and Pakistan seem to be on the verge of signing the CTBT.

The NAM declaration, while noting the complex situation that has arisen as a result of the nuclear tests, also "considered the positive commitment" by India and Pakistan to exercise restraint. The document stressed the need for a bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan. The long-standing Indian demand on "negotiating and implementing universal, non-discriminatory disarmament" was incorporated in the document. NAM has demanded the convening of an "international conference" in 1999 so that an agreement could be arrived at before the end of the millennium on a "phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, within a specified period of time."

THE overwrought reaction by the Indian side to Mandela's reference to Kashmir in his speech has the potential to distance Pretoria from New Delhi further. There has been a communication gap between the two capitals for quite some time. South Africa has been complaining in private about lack of cooperation from India. There was a commitment from New Delhi that it would help South Africa with the organisational aspects of hosting the NAM conference, given the fact that India has considerable experience in hosting international conferences. South African sources say that not much help was forthcoming in this matter. New Delhi, on the other hand, has been unhappy with many of the positions South Africa has taken in international forums in recent times. Suspicions worsened after the nuclear explosions.

According to senior Indian officials, South African Vice-President Thabo Mbeki went out of his way to assuage the hurt feelings of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with regard to Mandela's reference to the Kashmir issue. Vajpayee had earlier told Mandela personally at a reception that the South African leader's reference was "uncalled for". A senior Indian official said that Mbeki had "apologised" for Mandela's reference to Kashmir. Mandela had earlier told Vajpayee that his reference to Kashmir was not to be seen in "isolation". The South African Government, a spokesman for Mandela said after the summit, would prefer that India and Pakistan resolve outstanding issues bilaterally.

Expectedly, the Pakistani side had no complaints about Mandela's reference to Kashmir. Shamshad Ahmad said that Mandela's speech reflected the desire of the international community for a resolution of the "contentious" Kashmir issue. He said that the Kashmir issue remained the "core" issue between the two countries for the last 40 years. According to Indian officials, Pakistan did not work overtime in Durban to highlight the Kashmir issue. In the light of recent events, the governments of both countries seem to have realised that holding bilateral talks on all issues including Kashmir is not a bad idea after all.

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