NEW DELHI: India has ruled out “meaningful dialogue” with Pakistan till it fulfilled its commitment of completely dismantling the terrorist infrastructure from its soil. Maintaining that India’s goal was a stable Pakistan at peace with itself and the rest of the world, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told the 112 heads of Indian missions abroad on Monday that India wanted to address its differences with Pakistan through dialogue.
The tone for spelling out New Delhi’s foreign policy objectives with respect to Pakistan was set by a four-page cable sent a week back to Indian envoys abroad by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. Apart from spelling out the areas with potential and those of concern in resetting ties with Pakistan in the post-Mumbai attacks scenario, Ms. Rao also dwelt on the contentious issue of Balochistan being mentioned in the Indo-Pak joint statement issued at Sharm-el-Sheikh last month.
Reliable sources said Ms. Rao justified the mention of Balochistan on grounds that India had clean hands and therefore was ready for a discussion on the unrest in Pakistan’s largest State.
Mr. Krishna repeatedly referred to the message conveyed to the Pakistani leadership of the desire to engage in meaningful discussions and develop bilateral relations in a positive manner. But he also pointed out that a meaningful dialogue will only be possible if Pakistan honoured its pledge to root out all anti-India terrorist activity. Pakistan did take some steps “under the pressure of evidence presented to them,” but it was yet to take effective steps to end infiltration and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure .
The highlight on the opening day of the five-day annual interaction of over 100 Indian envoys with senior policy makers here was the address by National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan on Indo-U.S. ties and the spate of questions that followed. In fact, according to diplomats, more questions were put on the tenor of India’s relations with the U.S. than on its future course of action on ties with Pakistan.
Speaking about the immediate neighbourhood, Mr. Krishna termed Bangladesh’s return to multiparty democracy as an “encouraging development” and wished the peace process in Nepal would end quickly on the basis of the “widest possible consensus.”
India also wanted Sri Lanka to ensure an effective devolution of power to bring about a lasting political settlement now that the LTTE was militarily defeated.
There was space for both China and India to grow and while there was congruence in views on many global issues, there were outstanding bilateral issues that needed a peaceful solution through dialogue.
India’s ties with Russia were given a contemporary characterisation in areas such as nuclear energy, space and defence and it was decided to build upon the “positive momentum” in ties with the U.S. achieved over the last few years.
Earlier, welcoming the envoys , Ms. Rao dwelt on aspects such as training, greater use of technology, inter-agency cooperation and security and effective communications.
In the interactive session, diplomats suggested improved communication and exchanges between the missions and the Foreign Office.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Indian envoys begin brainstorming, Pakistan high on agenda
A three-day conclave involving about 120 Indian envoys posted abroad began in New Delhi on Monday with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna outlining the country's strategy in dealing with key foreign policy challenges, ranging from terrorism and climate change to global meltdown and soft power projection.
Enunciating the traditional values of India's foreign policy, Krishna set the tone by exhorting diplomats to sharpen their skills in dealing with emerging challenges like climate change, the global financial meltdown and multilateral trade negotiations, said official sources.
He also spoke about giving a fresh impetus to improving India's relations with neighbours and sustaining momentum in ties with major powers like the US, Russia and the European Union, the sources said.
National Security Adviser MK Narayanan stressed on India's security strategy, its nuclear posture and a multi-pronged approach to dealing with global terrorism, including linkages with cross-border terror, a festering issue that bedevils India's ties with Pakistan.
The conference of the Indian heads of missions abroad is a closed-door meeting, the first such exercise after the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition returned to power in May.
The last such conclave was held here in December last year against the backdrop of India's diplomatic offensive soon after the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to interact with the envoys Tuesday.
Manmohan Singh is likely to explain to diplomats his reasons for embarking on a "trust but verify" policy vis-a-vis Pakistan and address their concerns over the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement.
The July 16 joint statement, which delinks actions on terror by Pakistan from the composite dialogue process and includes the first-ever reference to Balochistan in a bilateral document, has not gone down well with sections of India's foreign office.
The conference this year has a wider canvas and includes special sessions on soft power projection, climate change, economic diplomacy and WTO negotiations. Interactions with leading think tanks like the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) have also been arranged.
A host of cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Minister of Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor will address the envoys over the next two days.
The reorganisation and expansion of the Indian foreign office and issues relating to housekeeping will also figure prominently in the discussions.
Enunciating the traditional values of India's foreign policy, Krishna set the tone by exhorting diplomats to sharpen their skills in dealing with emerging challenges like climate change, the global financial meltdown and multilateral trade negotiations, said official sources.
He also spoke about giving a fresh impetus to improving India's relations with neighbours and sustaining momentum in ties with major powers like the US, Russia and the European Union, the sources said.
National Security Adviser MK Narayanan stressed on India's security strategy, its nuclear posture and a multi-pronged approach to dealing with global terrorism, including linkages with cross-border terror, a festering issue that bedevils India's ties with Pakistan.
The conference of the Indian heads of missions abroad is a closed-door meeting, the first such exercise after the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition returned to power in May.
The last such conclave was held here in December last year against the backdrop of India's diplomatic offensive soon after the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to interact with the envoys Tuesday.
Manmohan Singh is likely to explain to diplomats his reasons for embarking on a "trust but verify" policy vis-a-vis Pakistan and address their concerns over the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement.
The July 16 joint statement, which delinks actions on terror by Pakistan from the composite dialogue process and includes the first-ever reference to Balochistan in a bilateral document, has not gone down well with sections of India's foreign office.
The conference this year has a wider canvas and includes special sessions on soft power projection, climate change, economic diplomacy and WTO negotiations. Interactions with leading think tanks like the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) have also been arranged.
A host of cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Minister of Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor will address the envoys over the next two days.
The reorganisation and expansion of the Indian foreign office and issues relating to housekeeping will also figure prominently in the discussions.
Indian envoys meet evades talks on Indo-Pak joint statement
NEW DELHI
: Two days into an annual conference of India's envoys in the capital has seen a reverberating silence into the UPA government's most
recent foreign policy affair. There has been no reference to, and almost no questions asked, about the India-Pakistan joint statement at Sharm el-Sheikh, which raised a political firestorm in the country only weeks ago. Interestingly, though privately Indian ambassadors repeatedly refer to the joint statement, at the envoys' conclave there has been a remarkable lack of curiosity about the event.
On Tuesday, the ambassadors gathered together for a pow-pow on India's neighbourhood policy. Initially Pakistan was not even on the agenda, which only goes to show what everyone has always suspected, that India's policy on Pakistan is driven by domestic politics and domestic imperatives.
But later the agenda was amended to include Pakistan and it was left to the ambassadors to grill India's high commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal about Pakistan. The general consensus after the discussion seemed to point to the fact that despite recent events of Pakistan forces going after the Tehrik-e-Taliban, there was no change in their attitude towards India.
Neither the Prime Minister nor the foreign minister, in their speeches, referred to Sharm el-Sheikh. The only person to make an honest reference to it was National Security Adviser MK Narayanan. In his remarks on Monday, Narayanan clarified that Sharm el-Sheikh did not signify any substantive change in India's approach to Pakistan. He also made it clear that there would be no talks with Pakistan until there was action against India-specific terrorists in Pakistan.
In an interview on Tuesday, foreign minister SM Krishna emphasised the UPA government's inflexibility on Pakistan and terrorism.
: Two days into an annual conference of India's envoys in the capital has seen a reverberating silence into the UPA government's most
recent foreign policy affair. There has been no reference to, and almost no questions asked, about the India-Pakistan joint statement at Sharm el-Sheikh, which raised a political firestorm in the country only weeks ago. Interestingly, though privately Indian ambassadors repeatedly refer to the joint statement, at the envoys' conclave there has been a remarkable lack of curiosity about the event.
On Tuesday, the ambassadors gathered together for a pow-pow on India's neighbourhood policy. Initially Pakistan was not even on the agenda, which only goes to show what everyone has always suspected, that India's policy on Pakistan is driven by domestic politics and domestic imperatives.
But later the agenda was amended to include Pakistan and it was left to the ambassadors to grill India's high commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal about Pakistan. The general consensus after the discussion seemed to point to the fact that despite recent events of Pakistan forces going after the Tehrik-e-Taliban, there was no change in their attitude towards India.
Neither the Prime Minister nor the foreign minister, in their speeches, referred to Sharm el-Sheikh. The only person to make an honest reference to it was National Security Adviser MK Narayanan. In his remarks on Monday, Narayanan clarified that Sharm el-Sheikh did not signify any substantive change in India's approach to Pakistan. He also made it clear that there would be no talks with Pakistan until there was action against India-specific terrorists in Pakistan.
In an interview on Tuesday, foreign minister SM Krishna emphasised the UPA government's inflexibility on Pakistan and terrorism.
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