HYDERABAD, 8 January 2003 — The United States yesterday asked India to look out for opportunities to reach out to and reinforce the new civilian government in Pakistan and said that New Delhi should seek to diminish tensions with Islamabad as a way of securing a better future for itself.
Richard N. Haass, director, policy planning staff in the US Department of State, said that Indians should not view efforts to improve relations with Pakistan as a favor to their neighbor and added that India, like Pakistan, has an interest in removing conditions to dialogue.
Addressing the Partnership Summit of Confederation of Indian Industry here yesterday, Haass observed that
"India’s position that there would be no dialogue with Pakistan until terrorism emanating from Pakistani territory ends does not provide the basis for a sound, long-term policy for India to deal with its neighbor."
"India is too great a country, too important a regional and potentially global player, to allow a relationship with a neighbor to keep it from realizing its potential on the world stage," he said.
He made these observations while addressing the delegates from India and 23 countries on "United States and India — a transformed relationship" at the ongoing CII Ninth Partnership summit.
He said India should recognize that there were important developments unfolding in Pakistan that could contribute to a more stable, secure region. "I would hope that New Delhi would respond to these changes by taking small steps — beyond the welcome reduction in military developments on the international border. India could acknowledge encouraging events where they exist, including Pakistan’s assistance in the war against Al-Qaeda and Taleban, President Musharraf’s vision of a reformed Pakistan, and the emergence of civilian leaders," he said.
The US, he said, would continue to urge Musharraf to do everything in his power to permanently end infiltration into Kashmir. "Pakistanis must realize that this infiltration is killing their hopes for a settlement to Kashmir," he added. He said the current situation between the two countries was distinctly abnormal — even by the standards of adversaries. "Today the Indo-Pakistani relationship is less developed than that between US and Soviet Union even at the height of the Cold War," he said.
"In the absence of the most basic contacts, the most minimal line of communication, tension between India and Pakistan constantly risks sparking a border conflict with potentially cataclysmic consequences for India, for Pakistan, for the region and, if I might say, for the United States," Haass said.
He said the world was not asking India and Pakistan to do anything that other states have not done. He referred to Germany and France, Japan and Korea, Brazil and Argentina and US and Russia in this regard. A more normal relationship between India and Pakistan was not impossible to envision.
"Normalcy does not mean an absence of disagreement. Rather, normalcy means a resilient relationship that would allow India and Pakistan to weather inevitable shocks and setbacks without the risk of violent conflict or a nuclear crisis," he added.
While appreciating the depth of feeling that Pakistanis have for Kashmir, he said that nevertheless, he would discourage Pakistanis from allowing their focus on resolving the Kashmir dispute to block progress on other issues that involve India and that hold promise of an improved bilateral relationship.
"I have worked on regional conflicts for almost three decades — be it Cyprus, Northern Ireland or the Middle East. And if there is one lesson I have learned, it is that the inability to resolve big issues should not stop progress on the little ones," he explained.
Referring to Iraq, Haass said that the US anticipated significant cooperation with India on Iraq and that if use of force proved necessary in Iraq, it could turn to India for assistance.
"If force proves necessary, we hope that the United States could turn to the Indian government for assistance in meeting not only immediate needs, but also in addressing the humanitarian, political and economic challenges that follow,"he said.
He said his country was pleased that India had called for Iraq’s full compliance with United Nations resolutions, including UN Security Council resolution 1441. "We will seek to expand our cooperation with India and other members of the international community as the situation in Iraq warrants," he added. He said India and US shared a common interest in bringing about a world where materials and technologies for the production of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons were difficult to acquire.
He also welcomed India’s role in the adoption of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nov. 29 resolution that insisted that North Korea end its nuclear weapons program and open its facilities to IAEA inspections. "We appreciate that India is part of the international consensus demanding that North Korea do away with its new Uranium enrichment facility and meet its international obligations under the IAEA," he said.
He pointed out that the challenge posed by North Korea’s nuclear policies was far from over and India’s efforts would remain important alongside those of Russia, China, South Korea and Japan in defusing the situation.
Appreciating the fact that India and America were collaborating on security and stability in Asia and beyond, he said there was lot more the two countries do in security cooperation. India had been a stalwart member of the coalition waging the global war against terrorism. India was the first country to offer assistance to US after the horrible events of September 11, 2000.
"India and America stood side by side in Afghanistan," he said and pointed out that the two countries had engaged in extensive military-to-military cooperation, marked by multiple port visits, joint exercises and high-level exchanges.
He also said the US and India need to strengthen their economic ties to attain a strategic partnership, but made it clear that the burden of action rests largely on New Delhi’s shoulders. "With all positives in our relationship, the weakness of our economic links is glaring," said Haass. Our five-track economic dialogue with India can help spur the needed reforms and prepare the ground for a much more robust commercial relationship. But India must take the lead and do its part to transform this critical part of our relationship."
He said the elimination or reduction of tariff barriers, streamlining of taxation and licensing requirements and the resolution of intellectual property disputes by India would go far in removing the obstacles to bilateral trade and investment. Haass said the economic links continue to be underdeveloped despite the enormous potential for commerce between the two large and dynamic economies.
