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Pessimistic Sharief makes Wednesday's talks tough for Vajpayee

On the eve of his bilateral talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Colombo, Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharief has launched a propaganda barrage against India.

''The experience of the past 50 years shows that the bilateral process has remained sterile,'' he said in an interview to the Island newspaper, ''It is time for the international community to encourage Pakistan's efforts to defuse the security crisis in South Asia and promote a just settlement of the Kashmir issue.''

SAARC, Sharief continued, had now reached a ''level of maturity'' and could effectively contribute to the peaceful resolution of the dispute that has bedeviled the region for almost half a century.

He supported the concept of informal political consultations to promote peace and stability in the region, mooted at the Male summit.

Sharief welcomed the mediation offer made by the United Nations secretary general and certain countries, including Bangladesh. ''While we have welcomed all these initiatives, India has rejected them,'' he charged.

He said the deterioration in the security situation in the region following nuclear tests has made it all the more imperative for the two neighbours to address the ''core issue'' of Jammu and Kashmir.

He squarely blamed India for triggering the nuclear arms race in the region and sought to justify Islamabad's action: ''Owing to the magnitude of the threat posed to our security, Pakistan was left with no choice but to opt for nuclear tests in self-defence.''

''The redress of the strategic balance of power between the two countries has restored a measure of stability to the region and is a clear disincentive for aggression,'' he added.

Islamabad wanted a ''tension-free relationship'' with New Delhi, based on equality and self-respect, he said.

Pakistan, he went on, was not ''fascinated' by acquiring nuclear weapon status.

''Unlike India, we have never sought any recognition as a nuclear weapon state. We have repeatedly reiterated that the issue confronting Pakistan is of security and not of recognition,'' he claimed.

UNI

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