Caught in the middle

When Cuba introduced a resolution at the Human Rights Conference in Geneva just under a fortnight ago, condemning the US for keeping 600 det...

When Cuba introduced a resolution at the Human Rights Conference in Geneva just under a fortnight ago, condemning the US for keeping 600 detainees at Guantanamo Bay without due process of law no access to lawyers, etc, a shiver ran through the assembled diplomatic audience. From some 40 countries, the Al-Qaeda and Taliban men had been moved to the US military base since the war in Afghanistan after 9/11. Some at Geneva wondered whether Cuba, sanctioned and blockaded by most of the 8216;8216;free world8217;8217; for the longest time, was simply being foolhardy, others gnashed their teeth at Havana8217;s audacity to take on the hyperpower. Whatever its own motivations 8212; including being subject to the annual humiliation of being censured by the US on the rights of its political dissidents 8212; Cuba had certainly captured the imagination of the international media. Especially since the US Supreme Court was about the same time examining the legality of the indefinite detention of the detainees.

So what did India do? Before that question can be answered, it must be said that the US military base is on land leased from Cuba under a 1903 treaty which Havana says it no longer recognises. Still, the Cubans haven8217;t been able to dislodge the Americans from Guantanamo Bay, for obvious reasons. So what did India do? The Foreign Office is believed to have mulled over a decision, this way and that for a while. At one point the US Embassy here issued the MEA a demarche, asking for support against the Cuban resolution. New Delhi was in a flap. While its heart may have continued to belong to Fidel Castro, it knew that in the brave, new world its head better side with Washington. In the end, New Delhi would have likely voted against Havana, only to its enormous relief, it never came to that. Cuba withdrew its resolution at the last hour, sensing the direction in which the wind was blowing.

The Israel-Pak connection

When two nations seem to dislike each other so publicly, reports of their secret links, including at the highest level, only adds to the general excitement. A website with reportedly close links to the Pentagon http://www.intelligenceonline.net announced last week that Israel8217;s secret service has been training Musharraf8217;s bodyguards since the return of the Pak President from his visit to the US in July last year. Interestingly, soon after his visit, Musharraf had sought to allay the widespread anger about Israel, pointing out that 8216;8216;there was no need8217;8217; for the Pakistanis to be more holy than either the Pope or the Palestinians. The website also reported that the training, which included the ability to fly a small helicopter, was halted for a short while in November when two corps commanders objected to the Israeli connection, but was resumed thereafter.

Indian diplomats say they aren8217;t surprised at the surfacing links between Islamabad and Jerusalem, that Pakistani leaders like Benazir Bhutto probably met Shimon Peres at international gatherings in the early-mid 8217;90s. Moreover, with the US and Israel the closest allies on the one hand, and the US and Pakistan very good friends on the other, it was only a matter of time before Washington persuaded Musharraf to get the best to help protect his life. The sophisticated nature of the two assassination attempts on him in December, Musharraf was told, were more than likely to have been by the Al-Qaeda. There8217;s a third reason why New Delhi8217;s displaying such equanimity. When reports of the NSG being trained by the Israelis during the Rajiv Gandhi era surfaced in the 8217;80s, the Indians calmly denied the whole thing. So what if they were true.

Waiting for the new Govt

All8217;s quiet on the foreign policy front these days but barely would the new government be installed towards the third week of May, the action begins to perk up. First off the blocks is a meeting between senior officials from India and Pakistan on nuclear CBMs, followed by a discussion between the two Foreign Secretaries on Kashmir, peace and security. The third round of talks on the boundary issue between India and China are also slated for the end of May. What happens however if there8217;s a change in government? Sources in the Congress point out that while there8217;s been a general exchange of views with the BJP on Pakistan, there8217;s been no attempt to take the Opposition into confidence on China. However, the Congress sources add that it would likely take an even more 8216;8216;forward-looking view8217;8217; than the BJP on Beijing, even as it reconsiders the 8216;8216;mechanics8217;8217; of the talks, including the institution of the Special Representatives. If the Congress does come to power, it also promises to reconstitute the National Security Advisory Board and, perhaps, separate the functions of the Principal Secretary and the National Security Advisor.