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PM to counsel Fernandes against heated statements

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Vajpayee government's teething troubles are far from over. Even as the prime minister restored a semblance of normalcy among his warring ministers, the latest worrylines on his forehead have been caused by Defence Minister George Fernandes's outburst against China.

Touched to the quick by Fernandes identifying it as the nation's potential enemy number one, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhu Bangzhae virtually went ballistic on Tuesday.

A senior government official said South Block was at its wit's end ever since Beijing's reaction emanated on Tuesday, and that the prime minister was bound to speak to Fernandes about the "sensitive matter".

It was also pointed out that Vajpayee, as external affairs minister, had successfully conducted the country's foreign policy with its neighbours with aplomb and dignity. The government official indicated that the defence minister would be "counselled" that heated statements which were bound to be misunderstood, should be avoided at all costs.

Asked for the ministry of external affairs's reaction to the fracas, a spokesperson said, "We have taken note of it," and declined to say anything further. However, when consistently pressed by reporters, the official spokesman underlined that the matter should not be aggravated because India was keen to have friendly relations with all its neighbours, including China. The political leadership in the country was applying its mind to smoothen out ruffled feathers, and unnecessary publicity should not be given to the matter, he added.

Significantly, the very fact that the official spokesperson was commenting on the matter involving a senior minister indicated that Vajpayee was unhappy with his statement against China.

The MEA, at the same time, is also pleased about the sanctions imposed by the US against Pakistan's missile programme

An official spokesman said, "We are very happy because we have always maintained that Pakistan's missile programme has been helped by foreign technology."

However, when asked to identify which particular country had been helping Pakistan's missile programme, the official spokesman did not comment. He also declined comment when asked whether it was North Korea which had assisted Pakistan's missile programme which had culminated in the recent test-firing of the intermediate range ballistic missile Ghauri. The US had projected that the Pakistani missile programme was being abetted by North Korea.

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