The Hindu : Front Page : We will carry forward composite dialogue, says Manmohan

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Friday, Sep 24, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

We will carry forward composite dialogue, says Manmohan

By Harish Khare

PITCHING FOR GLOBAL EFFORT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday. — PTI

UNITED NATIONS, SEPT. 23. India is determined "to carry forward [the India-Pakistan composite] dialogue to a purposeful and mutually acceptable conclusion," the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has assured the international community.

Addressing the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Singh devoted only a short paragraph in his speech to India-Pakistan relationship. The restrained reference stands out in sharp contrast to the lengthy rebuttal in recent years by Indian Prime Ministers to Pakistan's provocative references to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

In fact, the short paragraph in its entirety reads: "Relations between India and Pakistan have been a matter of attention for the international community. It is known that since January this year India and Pakistan have initiated a composite dialogue to resolve all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. I reaffirm our determination to carry forward this dialogue to a purposeful and mutually acceptable conclusion."

`Positive response'

The Indian response was more or less determined by the "constructive" tone struck by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, in his address yesterday to the U.N. The Indian side was prepared for three scenarios — First, Gen. Musharraf could make an unhelpful but mild reference to Kashmir; in that case, the Indian response would have been made by a low-level diplomat. Second, the Pakistan leader could be provocative and aggressive, like he was last year, and such a performance would have demanded a detailed reply from Dr. Singh. And, the third scenario hoped for a positive and constructive reference to Kashmir; this is what turned out to be the case, and the Indian side was happy to make an equally positive response. The major thrust of Dr. Singh's speech was that the approach to tackling global problems such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, economic globalisation, pandemics like HIV/AIDS must be genuinely global.

"We speak about cooperation [against terrorism] but seem hesitant to commit ourselves to a global offensive to root out terrorism, with the pooling of resources, exchange of information, sharing of intelligence, and the unambiguous unity of purpose required. This must change. We do have a global coalition against terrorism. We must give it substance and credibility, avoiding selective approaches and political expediency," Dr. Singh added.

On proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the Prime Minister stressed "that only a global consensus of willing nations that would ultimately prove to be the more effective" approach.

He added that "it is through representative institutions rather than exclusive clubs of privileged countries" that the proliferation issues could be tackled. He invoked the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan of 1988, and suggested that "it is quite evident today that a global discourse is required for evolving a more cooperative and consensual international security order."

Council seat

Dr. Singh also made a low-key pitch for India's membership of the Security Council, contexting India's claim as a world's democracy that must find its voice in a global order promoting democracy across the world: "An overwhelming majority of the world's population cannot be excluded from an institution that legislates on an increasingly number of issues, with an ever-widening impact..." Dr. Singh's speech, according to Indian officials, was "extremely well-received" and he was complimented by a very large number of diplomats.

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