Gujral meets Clinton in September, LOC to be major part of talks

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will leave for the United States on September 23 or 24. The prime minister will meet President Bill Clinton and clarify India's position on various issues, including this week's exchange of fire on the line of control on the Indo-Pak border.

Senior diplomats refuted an earlier report that Gujral was meeting Clinton at the behest of some Indian officials who were soft on Pakistan and and influenced by Washington. The prime minister had a 'fiercely-independent mind' and there was no question of his being influenced by anybody on matters of India's security, unity and integrity, the officials stressed .

Gujral, they said, was ready to face any eventuality on matters concerning the nation, and this was the primary reason for his meeting with the US president.

Asked whether the US invitation to Gujral was a result of the scheduled meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief and Clinton, the officials specified that Gujral would not fight shy of making India's position clear on various matters, including Islamabad's hectic efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

They contended that Indo-US relations were on the upswing and this had caused considerable concern in Islamabad. As a result, they pointed out, Pakistan had appealed to 74 countries including the US to come to its aid in tackling the Kashmir dispute.

Referring to Pakistan's ongoing efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, they pointed out that Islamabad had cut a sorry picture on the Afghan front and indications were that it was being further marginalised. Such foreign policy setbacks proved to be a constant irritant to the Pakistan prime minister, who had once again seized the Kashmir card in desperation.

It is learnt that the attempt to improve Indo-Iranian relations has also unsettled Pakistan. Much of Islamabad's tirade against New Delhi is being taken with a pinch of salt in various circles in Teheran, which has understood Pakistan's compulsions but has refused to endorse them.

Asked whether Clinton would try to extract concessions from India on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the officials contended that New Delhi's position on the matter would remain unchanged.

The Indian defence establishment is keenly watching Nawaz Sharief's latest foreign policy initiative -- the much-used Kashmir card -- and its spillover effect on the Pakistan armed forces. Pakistan army chief General Jehangir Karamat has openly expressed his disapproval on certain moves made by Nawaz Sharief. It remains to be seen whether the Pakistan prime minister will be able to assert his authority over his country's armed forces.

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