New Delhi, July 2: Efforts are on to repair the relationship between India and the US with Jaswant Singh, the Prime Minister's key aide, being deputed to meet the US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott in Frankfurt in the middle of next week.This will be the second encounter between Singh and Talbott in two months and it indicates a keenness on both sides to continue talking to each other, even if Washington and New Delhi still make some acrimonious statements publicly.The venue of the meeting, likely on July 8, is also said to be significant, because it is ``neutral'' territory. Singh met Talbott in Washington last month and it was expected that the second encounter would be in New Delhi.But both sides obviously prefer talking away from the limelight.Highly placed sources in the Prime Minister's Office said this meeting was part of New Delh's efforts to continue the dialogue with ``key interlocutors'' and prevent the pace from flagging. A team of officials from the ministries of ExternalAffairs and the Department of Atomic Energy has returned only yesterday from France.But with the permanent five states, led by the US, insisting on continuing to play tough with India on signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, refrain from weaponisation and the deployment of missiles, New Delhi may now be well preparing the ground towards meeting some of these demands at least half-way.For example, India may offer to convert its moratorium on testing, even after the Pakistani tests, into an international obligation.``India's security is paramount, we will never compromise on it,'' the PMO sources said, adding, ``but we're also a reasonable state. India is not Libya or North Korea. And now it seems that the US is even willing to talk to Iran.''Sources said that during the visits of Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra to Paris, London and Moscow last month as well as during Singh's trip to the US, the effort had been made to convince the other parties that India was ``not seeking parity'' withthese states in the nuclear field.``India is not out to destroy the world's non-proliferation regime,'' the sources said, pointing out that India had ``never transferred sensitive nuclear technology even when it was approached by several countries.''The Singh-Talbott meeting also comes at a time when the Indo-Pakistani dialogue seems to be going nowhere. But with international pressure not easing on such a dialogue, the sources said India is ``prepared to discuss new confidence-building measures with Pakistan.''This renewed attempt at appearing to be reasonable, New Delhi now hopes, will stand it in some stead when Singh meets Talbott. It also seems that the government is quite keen on signing the CTBT, not only because it feels it now has enough data after the tests to carry out computer-simulated experiments, but also because signing an international arms control agreement will undoubtedly win India significant brownie points.The problem however is that the government also desperately needs aface-saving formula it can offer at home, so as not to be seen as having sold out. Having staunchly refused to sign the CTBT two years ago, New Delhi can't suddenly turn around and cross the dotted line.The PMO sources indicated as much. ``There has been a consensus here on not signing the CTBT. If we now indicate our keenness, then we have to tell our people that we're getting something. That is what we would like to discuss,'' they said.
