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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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Looking for a marked change

Prakash Karat spells out possible foreign policy perspectives

Edited excerpts from an interview with Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), by Karan Thapar, broadcast in the programme “India Tonight” on CNBC TV18 on Monday night:

On India and the Obama administration: I think like the rest of the world we should really look to the Obama presidency with some expectation… That there’ll be a change, a marked change, from what we had during the Bush administration. And I think it’s paradoxical that in India, the Indian establishment, the present government, is viewing the Obama presidency with deep disquiet. There seems to be a mourning that President Bush is no more at the helm of affairs. I think it has opened up a new opportunity, I see that India-U.S. relations can be developed at a new level now. I think the Obama presidency will help India to reset our relationship in a better fashion than the type of relationship we had with the Bush administration. I think we would engage with the U.S. and the new administration on a wide range of issues on which I think they will be open now…because they have a new President. Obama made a very big speech on nuclear disarmament, for example. I think that has not been noted here seriously. I think that gives us an opening to discuss about the nuclear cooperation, agreement, the whole relationship with the U.S. on a fresh footing.

On signing the NPT, CTBT: We’ll not be willing to sign the NPT or the CTBT, but definitely if President Obama can come up with a time-frame for nuclear disarmament, which is what we have been demanding, India has been demanding, that is what the Rajiv Gandhi disarmament plan was about… I think then the whole framework will change. Let’s see if we can get them to talk about real nuclear disarmament… I’m saying that would be the basis for us to start talking about the whole issue. We’ll talk about the NPT only if this time-frame is going to become a reality. He has opened up this issue. He has opened up the doors.

On the India-U.S. nuclear deal: I think with a Democratic administration, the Obama administration, we can talk about reworking this deal. I can’t go into the details, but the Hyde Act brought in certain provisions into the 123 Agreement which were unacceptable for us… We look with expectation to President Obama. I think the understanding which was there with President Bush got this agreement through. I think there’ll be no serious problems with the new administration if we can get things reworked. I think the Democratic administration will be prepared to at least open up and discuss what we want done…

On protectionism: Everybody says no protectionism. But we say… in India, we must have some intelligent protectionism. We’ve to protect Indian farmers. We’ve been fighting with this government not to surrender our rights, which will harm the farmers, for example. So we’ll review the WTO-related decisions and policies and we’ll go in for some protectionism in certain areas. There’ll be protectionism practised by various countries. It is a reality and we have to see what type of protectionism is required which will be in the interest of our country and what we should not have.

On Pakistan, Afghanistan and Taliban, and a Third Front government: I think it will be important and we will shift the focus to the regional factor. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation must be brought in. We mean… getting back to the basics of an independent foreign policy.

Full text of Interview:

Karan Thapar interviews Prakash Karat: Full Text | Word Format

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