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Jaswant holds 5th round of talks with Talbott

The Indian prime minister's special envoy Jaswant Singh had another round of talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in Washington last night in an attempt to narrow down Indo- US differences on the nuclear issue.

This is the fifth round of discussions between the two sides during which they tried to come to a common understanding.

According to informed sources, the entire effort is aimed at bringing about some kind of a balance between India's security concerns and America's international non-proliferation agenda. At the end of their more than two hour-long parleys, both sides declined to say anything on the trend of the talks.

According to Indian embassy sources, the talks covered disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation issues among other things. Experts on the issue will hold one more meeting before the official level of Indo-US talks to be held in New Delhi in November 1998, the sources said.

The Jaswant-Talbott talks also centred around possible dates for the visit of President Bill Clinton to India. Both sides agreed that it should take place in a ''positive atmosphere'' and both sides will take steps to ensure that, the sources said.

The talks also covered measures being taken by the US to lift economic sanctions against India imposed in the aftermath of the nuclear tests. In this connection Jaswant Singh met Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jesse-Helms, Senator Brownback and Senator Joseph Biden. He was accompanied by Foreign Secretary K Raghunath and Indian ambassador to the United States Naresh Chandra.

Earlier, a US State Department official, who did not want to be named, said yesterday's encounter was part of the ongoing process of resolving differences. They are expected to meet again soon.

Jaswant Singh will leave for New York today to apprise Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the progress of his month-long efforts in coming to terms with the US on the sensitive nuclear issue.

UNI

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