Level playing field for Asian N-games unlikely in Geneva

GENEVA, JUNE 3: Top negotiators from China, United Kingdom, Russia, France and the United States - the five nuclear weapons states all perma...

GENEVA, JUNE 3: Top negotiators from China, United Kingdom, Russia, France and the United States 8211; the five nuclear weapons states all permanent members of the UN Security Council have begun meetings in Geneva in a bid to weigh their responses to the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan and coax both countries to sit across the table and talk arms control and border disputes. Though the talks began this morning, there are conflicting signals about the final content of the ministerial declaration scheduled for tomorrow.

The negotiators who include China8217;s top disarmament specialist Sha Zukang, Russia8217;s Grigori Berdennikov and Britain8217;s Roland Smith are slated to try and frame a mixture of incentives and deterrants in an effort to press New Delhi and Islamabad into confidence-building negotiations. 8220;Pakistan blames India, India blames China and China says it has no role to play in the current crisis 8211; in fact China will argue that it is not part of the problem,8221; a senior western diplomat privy to parts oftomorrow8217;s negotiations and speaking on conditions of anonymity said. Asked if Kashmir would figure in the talks, he declined to comment but said, 8220;there8217;s no question that the security environment between India and Pakistan will be discussed and when you are discussing security environment you are discussing borders.8221;

Other officials say any mention of borders raises also raises the dispute with China- something Beijing is keen to avoid as it sees itself unconnected to the current crisis. Pakistan8217;s envoy Munir Akram has said Kashmir is central to the issue while India8217;s UN ambassador and chief disarmament negotiator Savitri Kunadi told an arms negotiating forum this week that New Delhi8217;s security concerns ran deeper and further than the so-called South Asia.

8220;Artificial delimitation and selective and compartmentalised approaches which seek to limit these issues to the so-called South Asia are defective,8221; she said. As part of the build-up to tomorrow8217;s talks, the Conference on Disarmament CDthis week heard calls from over 45 countries middle eastern nations were conspicuously absent urging India and Pakistan to cease nuclear testing and join international arms pacts. Australia and New Zealand introduced the text of a statement that talks of tensions in Asia and not specifically South Asia. While this might be diplomatic nit-picking, the fact remains that India, Pakistan and Kashmir have come under international debate and possible scrutiny.

Diplomats here are pointing out that irrespective of the outcome of tomorrow8217;s meeting, this is the first time that the P5 five are meeting outside the UN context to discuss an India-Pakistan dispute with Kashmir being discussed at least on the sidelines of the main meeting.

Pakistan8217;s envoy Munir Akram has taken the line that his country reacted to protect itself from India which bears the responsibility for tensions in the region, a position that has been backed by China. Many questions are expected to remain unanswered including whether the P5accept India and Pakistan as nuclear weapons states and China8217;s role in the region8217;s security environment. China which is acting coordinator of the P5 will chair tomorrow8217;s meeting has blamed India for the current crisis. Arms negotiators in Geneva have also been quick to point to what they say is the failure of the P5 to take note of India8217;s announcement that it will now observe a voluntary moratorium and the prime minister8217;s statement in parliament indicating willingness to move towards a de-jure formalisation of this declaration. Diplomats see in this an indication that India is willing to move in the direction of CTBT but that the international community failed to seize this as an opportunity may suggest that other concerns are at work.

The P5 are not expected to discuss their own efforts to halt the spread of nuclear and missile technology which has been a potential source of discord with the United States blaming China and Russia for laxity toward suspected nuclear proliferators. That position in turnhas led to a host of awkward questions being hurled at Washington about why it has consistently turned a blind eye to the widely assumed nuclear capability of its closest ally in the middle east, Israel. A free and frank assessment of the world8217;s nuclear reality, diplomats say, is not for tomorrow.

Diplomatic tug of war between China, India

Story continues below this ad

On the eve of a crucial meeting of the foreign ministers of the five Security Council permanent members in Geneva, China on Wednesday sought to turn up the heat against India, saying it was the quot;targetquot; of New Delhi8217;s nuclear tests.

But in New Delhi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee led the exercise in calming passions worldwide, pointing out to China that it only wanted a quot;mutually responsivequot; relationship, telling the Iranian foreign minister that India sought to abide by globally accepted norms on nuclear disarmament and reminding him that New Delhi had offered a quot;direct dialogue with Pakistan on all issues of mutual interest.quot;

The Governmentpulled out the stops for Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi, who had hopped over here from Islamabad for less than 24 hours. A banquet was hosted for him on Tuesday night and Vajpayee met him on Wednesday afternoon.