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Jaswant meeting Albright in New York

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh is meeting United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in New York today. The talks between the two foreign ministers, the second after the recent India-Pakistan conflict in Kargil, are expected to cover a broad range of topics.

Ever since the conflict, India and the US have moved closer in their understanding of various issues, overcoming the problems caused by the nuclear tests of May 1998. Today's talks are expected to boost these growing ties.

The threat from global terrorism, the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Indo-Pak talks and the Kashmir dispute are likely to figure in the talks.

Jaswant Singh is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly session, which began on September 20. In his address, he had stressed the need to counter the global threat of terrorism and also called on the international community to take action against countries that aid and abet such terrorism.

New Delhi has been crying itself hoarse about Pakistan's role in supporting various terrorist organisations that have been wreaking havoc in Kashmir and pleading with the US administration to take action against Islamabad, something Washington DC has invariably hesitated to do.

Singh also stated categorically that Indo-Pak talks could only resume after Islamabad abjures support to the terrorist organisations operating in Kashmir and other parts of India. Pakistan insists it is only providing "moral and diplomatic" support to the extremists.

Indian officials deny that India has upped the ante in its talks with Pakistan. "In resolving the Kargil conflict, we had stressed that the Line of Control cannot and must not be violated. Supporting terrorists groups in India is a violation of the LoC. Our bottom line is respecting the LoC and if that is not done, how can there be talks?" said a senior official of the external affairs ministry.

But with the US keen that New Delhi and Islamabad resume their composite dialogue in the spirit of the Lahore Declaration, Albright is bound to press that the two countries return to the negotiating table.

India and the US are also looking at charting a common response to the threat of global terrorism. Both countries have been threatened by radical Islamic fundamentalists, forcing them and other Western countries to pool together counter-terrorist measures.

Recently, Albright's deputy, Michael Sheehan, visited New Delhi to discuss counter-terrorist measures. External affairs officials are most pleased with this visible display of American concern about global terrorism. "All this only continues the increased co-operation and improving relations between the two countries," they said.

The other major issue between the two countries is India signing the CTBT. Washington is keen that New Delhi ink the document as soon as possible, and India has given sufficient hints of its willingness to do so.

The issue will have to be tackled by the new government that will take office next month. But the officials pointed out that "even the US has failed to ratify the CTBT, putting the entire process in jeopardy".

New Delhi is also awaiting a final decision on the likely visit of US President Bill Clinton to India, possibly in November, by which time the new government would hopefully have settled down. The visit, if it takes place, will give a big boost to bilateral ties.

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