Camping at David146;s

Hot on the heels of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani8217;s visit to the US, Pakistan8217;s General Musharraf is arriving to quite a recept...

Hot on the heels of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani8217;s visit to the US, Pakistan8217;s General Musharraf is arriving to quite a reception in the heart of America. This, then, is Camp David, the home away from home of the US President, and the location of many an accord with two warring neighbours. This is where, on June 24 8212; when PM Vajpayee will be supping with Islamabad8217;s 8216;8216;all-weather friend8217;8217; in Beijing 8212; Musharraf will eat lunch with George Bush. Perhaps they will stroll in the forests afterwards and present themselves to the photographers.

So why is Camp David so special? Fact is, as George Mallory said of the Everest, because it8217;s there. Make no mistake, an invitation to Camp David spells not only honour, but also intimacy 8212; something that cannot be replicated by any of the sights and smells of a dinner in the White House. Still, in deference to the nervousness of the Indian establishment 8212; as well as to the exigencies of protocol 8212; Musharraf has not been invited to spend the night at Camp David. He will be asked to return to Washington DC the same day, to prepare for his meetings the following day with Vice-President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell as well as US commander general Tommy Franks.

Viva la France

If you8217;ve liked your turn in the American south, you could head for Monrovia country 8212; especially since the 14-year-old civil war that has claimed some 200,000 lives could be heading for yet another round of peace negotiations this week. This lush, evergreen capital of Liberia, with its plantation-style architecture and a sinuous pace of life was once the cynosure of eyes in all West Africa. Founded by freed American slaves in 1829 who named their capital in honour of then American President James Monroe 8212; and wrote themselves a Republican constitution in 1847, Monrovia could be the classic sun n8217;sand leitmotif of the world. That is, if it didn8217;t intermittently slide into a relentless anarchy that rivals the dazed cynicism of the global television viewer.

Nevertheless, the latest bout of bloodletting meant that some 60-70 Indian families who have lived for years in Monrovia were evacuated to nearby Abidjan, Cote D8217;Ivoire, on board a French warship, sent to take their own nationals out. Evidently, the MEA is said to have first got in touch with the Americans, who have played a key role in peace talks between Charles Taylor and rebel groups in recent years. Seems, though, that US rules prohibit the evacuation of foreigners unless some sort of an 8216;8216;assistance8217;8217; agreement has already been signed with the foreign nation in question. Which is when New Delhi decided to call Paris. Meanwhile, another 40-50 Indian families who have lived in Monrovia far too long, simply refused to get up and leave.

Stay home, Azmi?

Why did Shabana Azmi drop out of Kuldip Nayar8217;s all-party parliamentary delegation to Pakistan this week? According to one account, Azmi did not want to give her Shiv Sena colleagues back home in Maharashtra yet another stick to beat her with8230; Pity, since the articulate Azmi, who professes to both a firebrand and liberal worldview, would have clearly hogged the headlines next door.

Goodbye Francis

This diary pays its last respects to Francis Vaz, an officer serving India8217;s interests for the last 27 years, who passed away in Washington DC on June 7 of a stomach cancer. Francis, as many of us knew him, was not only one of the Foreign Service8217;s ablest officers 8212; he was posted in Brazil, Mozambique, Paris, Ankara and Islamabad since he joined up in 1976 8212; but also what is much more a rarity, one of the gentlest men around. As joint secretary on the Africa desk in the mid-1990s, Francis was tucked away on the MEA8217;s faraway second floor and quite a world away from the powerful corridors of the first floor. But he always had a ready smile for all the hacks who came looking for him, in the hope that Africa would also find space on the newspages along sexier beats like America and Pakistan! He fought his cancer bravely from when it was diagnosed some three years ago and worked right up to the last. Goodbye Francis8230; and thank you for your courage.