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Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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Kissinger: test of reliability

May affect quest for U.N. seat

India should ratify the deal for “its own reasons”
Deal an “important landmark” if it were to happen

New Delhi: If India failed to implement the civil nuclear deal with the U.S., it could lead to questions over its trustworthiness and may impact upon New Delhi’s quest for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, the former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, has suggested.

“It [failure of the deal] would certainly, in an intangible way, affect calculations because when an American leader goes down a certain road, he stakes his prestige on the ability to get it executed. So in that sense, it would undoubtedly be a setback,” he told Karan Thapar’s ’ ‘Devil’s Advocate’ programme on CNN-IBN.

“Definitely, people would make that argument,” Mr. Kissinger said, when asked whether questions could be raised in the U.S. regarding India’s reliability if the nuclear deal fails to get through.

He said there would “undoubtedly be disappointment and also there would be a question as to what extent one can calculate Indian reaction to the negotiations on other subjects,” he said.

Insisting that India should ratify the deal for “its own reasons,” he admitted that the failure of the deal “would certainly be a disappointment” for the Bush administration which “has put a lot of effort behind it.”

Mr. Kissinger said other countries, from whom India has been seeking support for the deal, could wonder “what is going on and what that reflects. Does it reflect an immediate internal problem or does it reflect the fundamental choice which makes it difficult to cooperate with India on these issues.”

Asked whether the failure of the deal could have an impact on India’s ambition for a permanent seat at the Security Council, he said: “I would anyway be in favour of India joining as a permanent member because of the magnitude of the country.” Stating that the deal would be an “important landmark” if it were to happen, he said: “It would signify that India has emerged from its isolation and that in a major field [nuclear] of activity, it is now re-entering the international community in a cooperative manner.” — PTI

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