The Hindu : Not acting under outside pressure: Sinha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 24, 2003

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Not acting under outside pressure: Sinha

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI April 23 . India's ``first and most preferred option'' in dealing with Pakistan was that of peace, friendship and dialogue, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, said tonight.

Replying to a debate on the demand for grants for his Ministry in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Sinha pointed to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's clarification that terrorism and infiltration had to be brought to an end for a meaningful dialogue to take place.

The ball, in his view, was in Pakistan's court. And, if India saw action on the ground, there could be forward movement, Mr. Sinha said in an hour-long reply to the six-hour debate. Mr. Sinha also sought to clarify his remarks on the issue of a pre-emptive strike, saying that he did not choose the ``headline'' for a recent newspaper interview that he had given.

Responding to points made by the Opposition, Mr. Sinha rejected the contention that India acted under any kind of outside pressure.

``We will not be cowed down,'' he stressed as some Opposition members alleged that Indian foreign policy was being moulded by the United States.

The Minister wanted to know if the May 1998 nuclear tests conducted by India were under American pressure. On Indo-U.S. relations, he said that ``sustained hostility'' towards Washington could not be the Government's policy. A great deal of misunderstanding had to be cleared with the U.S. after the nuclear tests.

This engagement had led to understanding. India, he said, would continue to promote friendly ties with the U.S. but without compromising on anything — on India's national interest. When Mr. Sinha spoke of ``compulsive hostility'' towards the U.S., Mani Shankar Aiyar (Congress) wanted to know if he was referring to past Congress Governments.

To this, the Minister said there were sections of opinion within the country which displayed compulsive hostility towards the U.S. In the past, India and the U.S. had dwelt more on their differences than on commonalities.

On China, Mr. Sinha said India wanted friendly and cooperative relations with that country on the principles of Panchsheel and equality and remained committed to the dialogue process with Beijing. India recognised Tibet as an autonomous region of China and favoured a direct dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese authorities.

The Dalai Lama was a religious and spiritual figure who was not allowed to indulge in political activities in India.

On the Line of Actual Control, he said the two countries were making progress. There would be difficulties in the process, but this would not be allowed to create fissures. Peace had held with China and India was determined that it continues to hold. With Russia, he said, India had not only been able to maintain, but improve its relationship with Moscow. ``This is one relationship which India cherishes,'' he stated.

Mr. Sinha spoke positively of the evolution of the European Union and said that the E.U. had acquired a new ``political and strategic personality''. India, he pointed out, had a summit-level meeting with the E.U. — like China, Japan, the U.S., Canada and Russia.

He said that the Foreign Ministers of India, South Africa and Brazil would meet in Brasilia to discuss the emerging new world order. Mr. Sinha maintained that India had also increased its engagement with Africa and Latin America.

The External Affairs Minister sought to dispel the impression that India's relationship with Nepal was troubled while admitting that there were some problems with Bangladesh.

He said that the Foreign Secretary would travel to Bangladesh before the end of the month to discuss issues between the two countries.

Problems did not mean that India's relations with Bangladesh were not cordial. During the debate, Shivraj Patil (Congress) said his party supported dialogue with Pakistan but it should be conducted with preparation and clarity.

Several Opposition members felt that India had lost its voice of leadership on foreign policy issues in the world, especially in NAM. Mr. Rup Chand Pal (CPI-M) accused the Government of speaking in different voices on Pakistan while claiming that India had been made irrelevant by the forces of American ``imperialism''.

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