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Wednesday, Feb 09, 2005

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International - India & World

Baglihar: "World Bank will soon appoint expert"

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, FEB. 8. The World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, has said there is a possibility of appointment in the next two weeks of a neutral expert to resolve the differences between India and Pakistan on the Baglihar hydroelectric project.

At a press conference at the end of a three-day visit, he said the Bank — under the provisions of the Indus Waters treaty — was a guarantor on the resolution of the differences. Mr. Wolfensohn earlier met the Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, who apprised him of Pakistan's expectations from the Bank on the subject.

After the bilateral talks on the dam collapsed last month, Pakistan has represented to the World Bank seeking arbitration. The Bank, which brokered the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, has residual responsibility to resolve differences on the interpretation of the provisions of the Treaty.

Spurious reports

Mr. Wolfensohn hoped the resolution of the dispute would not take years. He dubbed, "spurious" media reports suggesting that getting a resolution would take years. "That was a reference to, if you want to change the treaty, this is not a change of treaty. I have not seen the papers but what I hear, it (resolution) is not going to be years."

He said the process of arbitration was to seek a decision under the existing Treaty. To a question, he said the Treaty — under which the waters of six rivers flowing from Jammu and Kashmir were distributed between Pakistan and India — "worked incredibly well for many years."

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Baglihar: "World Bank will soon appoint expert"