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PM rejects Sino-US communique on mediating between India, Pakistan

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today rejected outright the recent joint communique issued by the United States and China indicating their intent to mediate between India and Pakistan, saying it was highly objectionable.

Replying to supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha, the prime minister asserted that India would not accept any outside intervention in the resolution of differences among South Asian nations .

''The South Asian countries are themselves capable of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the region...These countries can resolve their differences through mutual discussions,'' he said, referring to the joint statement issued by Washington and Beijing at the end of US President Bill Clinton's visit to China last month.

The prime minister said India had the capability and preparedness to face any eventuality, and this was amply demonstrated through the Pokhran nuclear tests.

Noting that the country had always had a consensus on the foreign policy, Vajpayee said, ''We are also for consensus and will make all efforts to continue with this policy.''

On S R Bommai's observation that the government had not convened any meeting with Opposition leaders or the chief ministers after the Pokhran tests, the prime minister said the meetings were held and these would continue. ''We want to take everybody along...There should not be any apprehension in this regard.''

He was happy that most political parties had adopted a constructive approach in the post-nuclear tests scenario. ''We have to stand united at this juncture.''

Earlier, Minister of State for External Affairs Vasundhara Raje told the House that India was keen to normalise relations with China and the US. ''We don't see our relationship (with China) in static terms.'' India and China were two large countries and it was important that these countries had good relations. New Delhi wanted new levels of understanding and truly stable and interactive relationship with Beijing in the 21st century.

On the US, Raje, in an obvious reference to the ongoing discussions between Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, said talks between the emissaries were on. ''We hope to be able to foster and bring understanding in the relationship very shortly.''

She agreed with Pranab Mukherjee that relations with Pakistan were important and in this regard referred to the coming meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries on the fringes of the SAARC summit in Colombo later this month. The prime ministers, she said, were expected to lay guidelines for the process of dialogue to be initiated to resolve outstanding differences.

Raje admitted that Kashmir was the ''flashpoint'' in the relations between the two countries, and said everybody was concerned over it.

On the recent resolutions adopted by the P-5, G-8 and the United Nations Security Council after the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, Raje said even these fora had viewed that India and Pakistan should resolve their differences through bilateral talks.

She said India had dissociated from the Security Council resolution.

UNI

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