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Annan incurs BJP's wrath over Kashmir

The Bharatiya Janata Party today objected to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's statement equating Kashmir with other global problems.

Talking to the media, BJP vice-president Krishan Lal Sharma said Kashmir was a bilateral issue and India would oppose any intervention by a third party in this matter. ''We wish Kashmir was not mentioned in the annual report of the 53rd UN General Assembly,'' he said.

Annan had said, ''Rising tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and other issues is a major cause of concern as is the stalemated peace process in Cyprus.''

Clubbing Kashmir with other global problems, Annan linked it to the Cyprus deadlock, the Sudan civil war, the stalled West Asia peace process, the Kosovo ethnic violence and the continuing unrest in Congo.

As for the nuclear tests, the secretary-general turned down India and Pakistan's plea for recognition as nuclear weapons states.

Reflecting the Security Council's strong views on the Kashmir and the nuclear issues, Annan said the tests conducted in May were a ''highly disturbing development''.

The BJP leader also took objection to Annan treating India and Pakistan on the same plank. He said Pakistan was severely criticised on the question of terrorism.

''India wants united efforts to fight terrorism universally,'' he added.

Sharma said India would effectively put forward its viewpoint on the issue at the UN General Assembly later this year.

He clarified that it was not for the first time that the issue had been raked up by the UN secretary-general. It had been referred to in the 1993-94 UN report during the tenure of prime minister P V Narasimha Rao.

Sharma did not see any ''international conspiracy'' to rake up the Kashmir issue during the Non-Aligned Movement summit at Durban a week ago and again in the United Nations.

''We have succeeded in checking the Kashmir issue being internationalised. It is our biggest achievement,'' Sharma said.

Referring to last night's overwhelming rejection to discuss the Kashmir issue during the International Parliamentary Union meeting at Moscow, the BJP leader said, ''Overall conclusions on the Kashmir issue are in our favour. They have started to realise our stand on Kashmir.''

Additional reportage: UNI

EARLIER REPORTS:
Mandela ditched old friend India to please US
Vajpayee rebuffs Mandela, rejects outside mediation in Kashmir
BJP takes Mandela to task for raising Kashmir at NAM
Mandela assuages India
Pakistan hails Mandela's reference to J&K

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