NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Uphold LoC: Albright

C K Arora in Washington

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has made out a strong case for upholding the Line of Control in Kashmir. She said as long as this simple principle is violated, the people of Kashmir have no real hope of peace.

Tangible steps must be taken to respect the Line of Control, she said in a speech at the Asia Society in Washington yesterday on President Bill Clinton's visit next week to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

To drive home her point about the sanctity of the LoC, she said, ''Today the conflict over Kashmir has been fundamentally transformed. Nations must not attempt to change borders or zones of occupation through armed force.''

She also made clear that Clinton was not going to Pakistan to mediate the Kashmir dispute and that he would not do that unless both sides asked.

She listed US interests in Pakistan: ''avoiding the threat of conflict in South Asia, fostering democracy in Pakistan, fighting terrorism, preventing proliferation, doing what we can to help create an environment of regional peace and security and reaching out to a people whose history is one of friendship with the United States''.

Albright said that one topic that the US would discuss in both India and Pakistan was the relationship between these two countries. India and Pakistan today must find some way to move forward, she added

Clinton's visit to South Asia offered the prospect of a welcome new chapter in the US. ''Although that chapter may begin with a visit from the White House, it will be written by the people of all our countries,'' she said.

''The president will visit five cities in India over five days to seek to begin a new chapter in our relations with one of the world's leading countries and oldest civilisations,'' she stated.

Issues that will be discussed include investment and trade, strengthening democracy, science and technology, social development, exchanges, such as the Fulbright programme and security issues.

She said the United States continued to seek universal adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. ''We believe the South Asian nuclear tests of May 1998 were a historic mistake. And UN Security Council resolution 1172 makes it plain that the international community agrees with us.

''The United States does not regard India's missiles or nuclear weapons as a direct threat to us. But we do regard proliferation -- anywhere -- as our number one security concern.

''We believe that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty would advance India's security interests, as it would advance our own. We will persist in our efforts to reconcile, to the greatest extent possible, our non-proliferation concerns with India's appreciation of its security requirements.

''Our dialogue on these subjects will be continued during the president's trip, and beyond.''

Addressing the president's decision to stop in Pakistan, Albright said, ''I want to leave no room for doubt. In no way is this a decision to endorse the military coup or government led by General Pervez Musharraf. And no one should interpret it as such.''

UNI

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report