The Hindu : National : Foreign policy team lacks coherence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

National

National

Foreign policy team lacks coherence

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, DEC. 19. The External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, returned home late on Friday evening from South Korea and after a good night's sleep went to see the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, on Saturday morning. The two are believed to have discussed "very briefly" Mr. Natwar Singh's purported remarks to a Korean publication on India's nuclear policy. It is understood that an explanation was neither sought nor offered on the contested remarks.

A little later, the two leaders joined officials from the External Affairs, Defence and Commerce ministries to "prepare" for the coming visit of the Malaysian Prime Minister. Neither the Prime Minister nor the External Affairs Minister was aware that just about that time "a senior official" had briefed a group of foreign policy writers that India was prepared to accept a United Nations Security Council seat without the veto power.

Confusing signals

Both Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Natwar Singh have reason to find themselves embarrassed, especially when only two weeks ago the foreign policy establishment had gone out of its way to seek a "clarification" from the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Moscow's support for New Delhi's Security Council candidature with veto. It was left to the Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhwat, frankly to tell Mr. Putin that Moscow was in imminent danger of losing the traditional Indian goodwill if Russia was seen as less than supportive of New Delhi's aspirations. Now suddenly India has inexplicably sent out a different signal.

The Opposition is bound to demand whether the Manmohan Singh Government is departing from one more established foreign policy goal. Only last week, the Prime Minister had to clarify (after the External Affairs Minister's reported remarks in Korea) that his Government was committed to a "continuity and consensus" on India's nuclear power status. Now another clarification may be demanded from the Prime Minister on the Government's stand on Security Council membership.

Clash of temperaments?

The Treasury Benches are capable of dealing with the Opposition's charge of partisanship in foreign and national security matters; during its six years in government, the Bharatiya Janata Party had a rather mixed record of non-partisanship in foreign policy matters. Does this "Security Council membership without veto" position reflect a genuine confusion in Dr. Singh's foreign policy team on a critical subject or does it reflect a wider clash of temperaments and perspectives?

It may be too early to pronounce judgment, though by now it is well known that Mr. Natwar Singh and the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, J.N. Dixit, are often on different wavelengths. The requisite esprit de corps is missing. A similar situation manifested itself during the Vajpayee regime; External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra were often bowling a different length and line. That situation resolved itself only when Mr. Jaswant Singh moved over to the Ministry of Finance.

Part of the current problem is that while Mr. Dixit and Mr. Natwar Singh have well-defined institutional roles, they have yet to find a mutually agreeable script. The result is that the limits of the Prime Minister's collegiate approach are being tested.

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