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Saturday, Jul 02, 2005

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Kissinger regrets remarks

Blames it on the Cold War; says he has "high regard" for Indira Gandhi

HARSH WORDS AND REGRET: Indira Gandhi with Dr. Henry Kissinger, United States Secretary of State, in 1974. — Photo: The Hindu Photo Archive

NEW DELHI: The former United States Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, has expressed regret over the use of foul language against the former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and Indians in the run-up to the 1971 Bangladesh war.

He said the expression of strong remarks was a "one-time event" and had to be seen in the context of the Cold War .

"All of these have to be seen in the context of a Cold War atmosphere 35 years ago when I paid a secret visit to China, when President Nixon had not yet been there and India had made a kind of alliance with the Soviet Union," he told NDTV on Friday.

"It was in that context we assessed the immediate situation and, in fact, we were angry. We wanted to avoid a war between India and Pakistan because we thought it would have been very damaging," he said.

``In any event, I regret these words were used. I have extremely high regard for Mrs. Gandhi as a statesman. The fact that we were at cross-purposes at that time was inherent in the situation, but she was a great leader who did great things for the country.'' He was a "strong supporter and promoter" of close relationship between India and the U.S, he added.

Mr. Kissinger had described Indians as "bastards" and used foul language against Mrs. Gandhi for "starting the war" against Pakistan in 1971, according to the declassified documents of the State Department released in Washington on Tuesday.

The then U.S. President Richard Nixon described her as an "old witch." — PTI

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