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Jaswant Singh faces numerous challenges in new assignment

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Having at last assumed charge of the ministry of external affairs, Jaswant Singh has several challenges ahead of him.

As Cabinet minister, Singh modestly proclaimed that he was new to the job and was still in the process of learning the diplomatic intricacies. However, couched in his disarming modesty is an underlying anxiety to stem the consistent pressure from the US and its P-5 and G-8 partners on the nuclear non-proliferation and missile issues.

Singh has the responsibility of not only doing business with the P-5 And G-8 countries but also ensuring that despite the sanctions, New Delhi is not hampered in its role as a dominant South Asian power.

Significantly, Singh, in his earlier avatar as the prime minister's special envoy, had been conducting ponderous diplomatic assignments, including the Indo-US dialogue involving talks with Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott.

However, the fact that Singh was seen as conducting the Indo-US dialogue all by himself had elicited criticism that he had far exceeded his brief and was no longer able to articulate India's viewpoint alone.

The critics had underscored that whereas Talbott virtually represented the Nuclear Five, Singh was going ahead merely with inputs from a couple of think-tanks.

But his being made the external affairs minister has drastically changed all that. Singh is well aware that the core security issues between the US and India have put them on opposing sides of the spectrum. He cannot ignore the fact that the US policy approaches to nuclear and missile proliferation contrast sharply with those of India. While the US has set a "critical priority" to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their missile delivery systems, India's worries have been different.

India's complaint against the US is based on its perception that while Washington does not even accept in principle India's position on the need to establish a nuclear-free world and champion the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, the US simultaneously seeks to take away India's right to keep the nuclear option open, reported to be one of the least expensive security guarantees in the light of New Delhi's security requirement.

Thus, Singh will have to successfully articulate to the US that while Washington keeps enriching its nuclear arsenal and continues inducting ultra-sophisticated missiles, it seeks to influence New Delhi into accepting arms control and non-proliferation proposals with no consideration of India's strategic compulsions.

The eighth round of the Jaswant-Talbott talks, in January in New Delhi, has triggered speculation that some sort of solution to the vexed non-proliferation and missile issues will emerge now that India has a new external affairs minister. But despite the "encouraging" jargon by both New Delhi and Washington after the conclusion of the Indo-US talks, the fact remains that the deadlock has not been broken as the two sides have steadfastly stuck to their respective position.

The new external affairs minister has to reiterate India's position that while New Delhi is all for comprehensive global non-proliferation measures, the US stance is preventing a solution. The US is not prepared to accept comprehensive global non-proliferation.

Singh has the responsibility of telling the US that if the latter wants India to participate in regional non-proliferation measures, the region should be accordingly defined in order to avoid making only an India-Pakistan arrangement. Singh has to underscore that any regional non-proliferation arrangement has to include the Chinese weapons.

On the question of the increasing denial of access to sophisticated technologies to India by the P-5 and G-8 countries, Singh has to emphasise that these are vital to India in the fields of space exploration and satellite development and other civilian end-uses. The US had further tightened the ban on dual-use (technology) exports to India through an executive action with no slackening expected even if Singh and Talbott reach an agreement.

According to the US Bureau of Export Administration, the commerce department, in its advice to exporters would be denying all exports and re-export applications for dual-use items to India and Pakistan.

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