Goals, not dates, first: PM

Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee today kept everyone guessing whether he would go for the SAARC meeting in Islamabad, saying a summit 8216;14...

Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee today kept everyone guessing whether he would go for the SAARC meeting in Islamabad, saying a summit 8216;8216;without substantive content8217;8217; would trivialise the South Asian association.

At the conference of the combined services commanders, Vajpayee said Pakistan is not willing to substitute terrorism with dialogue and that New Delhi will never want regional cooperation in South Asia to be held hostage by bilateral political differences.

8216;8216;We have reached a strange situation where every worthwhile proposal for economic cooperation is being systematically sabotaged on irrational fears and political considerations. Then we are told that we are dragging our feet on dates for the summit,8217;8217; he said.

8216;8216;We do not want to trivialise the association through a summit without substantive content. Let us first talk of substance before we start focussing on the dates.8217;8217;

8216;8216;The international community has acknowledged that the killing of men, women and children in Jammu and Kashmir is not a freedom struggle but naked terrorism driven by Pakistan. After the J-K elections, even foreign observers agreed that the residual insurgency in the state is foreign. But we have got no hint from Pakistan of a genuine desire to substitute terrorism with dialogue,8217;8217; the Prime Minister said.

Calling for a 8216;8216;constant vigil against terrorism and alertness against unexpected targets and tactics8217;8217;, Vajpayee reminded the commanders of attempts by terrorists to acquire biological and chemical weapons.

8216;8216;Technology has created chemical and biological weapons, which are difficult to detect. Many of the techniques and weapons can fall into hands of non-State actors. The defence and national security apparatus should be prepared to face these challenges8230; Virtually every democratic society is vulnerable to this threat: from a temple in Gujarat to a nightclub in Bali and a theatre in Moscow,8217;8217; he said.

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The PM8217;s speech was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Advani described Pakistan as the 8216;8216;epicentre of global terrorism8217;8217;. India, he said, will have to fight cross-border terrorism on its own if no help comes from the international community.

Fernandes asked the armed forces to work together. Recent measures pointing to 8216;8216;a high degree of synergy8217;8217; involved the creation of the Integrated Defence Staff, Defence Intelligence Agency and Andaman and Nicobar tri-Services Command, he said.

Fernandes emphasised the need for speedy acquisition of arms, production and development of the capital equipment, saying the allocation for Defence in the Budget has been increased to Rs 65,000 crore in the current financial year.