Talbott debates with Pak on CTBT

“The talks were wide-ranging and substantive during which an extensive review was carried out of the entire range of security concerns and issues including the core problem of Jammu and Kashmir,” an official release said.

Talbott is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan separately tomorrow.

During the talks held today, Pakistan once again demanded third party mediation for settlingdisputes between India and Pakistan. “The Pakistani side emphasised the need for effective engagement of major powers with security issues and help Pakistan and India resolve their problems,” the release said.

In this context, “the Pakistani side emphasised the centrality of the Kashmir issue,” the release said.

The discussions manily focussed on the “post-nuclear test environment in South Asia as the American delegation expressed its concern at the nuclear proliferation issue in the wake of nuclear tests by India and Pakistan.

“Pakistan understands US concerns over the increasing threat of an arms race….,” the release said, adding, “it welcomes the US interest in preventing further deterioration of the security situation in south Asia.”The US has been pressing both India and Pakistan to sign the CTBT.

Despite going through a severe economic crisis due to lack of financial assistance from multilateral agencies, Pakistan in a statement said it would not bow to any pressure to signCTBT.

“Any coercive measures by the international community would not only be unjustified but also counter-productive,” the statement said. The talks were held as part of the dialogue between the US and Pakistan in recent weeks and this was the third round between the two sides in the post nuclear test situation.

China wants Russia to lambast India

The post-nuclear test scenario in South Asia will be one of the key items on agenda for Russian Foreign Minister Evgeny Primakov when he arrives here tomorrow to hold high-level discussions with the Chinese leadership, diplomatic sources said. Primakov will pay an official visit to China from July 22 to 26 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan to discuss the upcoming informal meeting between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin at Moscow in September.

Diplomatic sources said Beijing will urge Moscow to `act tough’ with India for its `irresponsible’ action of triggering a nuclear arms race inSouth Asia by conducting nuclear tests.