DATE=11/14/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-41868
TITLE=TALBOTT ON PEACE AND SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA
BYLINE=AKMAL ALEEMI
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: (NOT VOICED)
INTRO: UNITED STATES' DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE STROBE TALBOTT
DISCUSSED BY TELEPHONE ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE PEACE AND
SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA (ON THE U-S INFORMATION AGENCY WORLDNET
PROGRAM "DIALOGUE" SATURDAY) WITH CALLERS FROM INDIA AND
PAKISTAN. V-O-A'S AKMAL ALEEMI HAS A REPORT:
TEXT: MR. TALBOTT WELCOMED THE SUGGESTION BY A CALLER FROM
ISLAMABAD THAT PAKISTAN WAS GRADUALLY MOVING TOWARD A CONSENSUS
ON SIGNING THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT). BUT HE DID
NOT AGREE WITH THE PAKISTANI THAT CTBT MAY BE FOLLOWED BY
SUBSEQUENT DEMANDS FOR OTHER NON-PROLIFERATION MEASURES THAT
MIGHT UNDERMINE PAKISTAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY.:
/// TALBOTT ACT 1 ///
THE UNITED STATES IS NOT IN THE POSITION OF MAKING
DEMANDS ON ITS FRIENDS IN PAKISTAN OR ITS FRIENDS IN
INDIA. THE ESSENCE OF THE DIALOGUE THAT PRESIDENT
CLINTON AND SECRETARY ALBRIGHT HAVE ASKED ME TO
CONDUCT WITH SHAMSHAD AHMAD IN PAKISTAN AND WITH
JASWANT SINGH IN INDIA IS PRECISELY A DIALOGUE THAT
IS A DISCUSSION BETWEEN AND AMONG FRIENDS ABOUT HOW
TO IMPROVE ALL OF OUR INTERESTS SYNERGISTICALLY. THIS
IS NOT A ZERO-SUM GAME. IT'S NOT A CASE OF THE
UNITED STATES MAKING DEMANDS AGAINST FRIENDS. WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN THAT WILL
IMPROVE THE SECURITY PROSPECTS, BOTH FOR INDIA AND
FOR PAKISTAN, AND ALSO ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL
NON-PROLIFERATION REGIME.
/// END ACT ///
MR. TALBOTT EXPLAINED THAT OTHER STEPS WHICH THE UNITED STATES IS
URGING UPON BOTH INDIA AND PAKISTAN -- IN ADDITION TO ADHERENCE
TO THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY -- INCLUDE HALTING THE
PRODUCTION OF FISSILE MATERIAL, AND AGREEING ON A SET OF
STRATEGIC RESTRAINTS ON BALLISTIC MISSILES AND EXPORT CONTROLS.
KASHMIR, HE SAID, IS ANOTHER ISSUE THAT GOES TO THE HEART OF THE
SECURITY INTERESTS OF BOTH COUNTRIES.
MR. TALBOTT HAD A ROUND OF MEETINGS WITH PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN
SECRETARY, SHAMSHAD AHMAD, AND HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART, JASWANT
SINGH. IN WASHINGTON. HE SAID HE HAS PLANS TO HAVE FURTHER
TALKS WITH MR. SINGH NEXT WEEK IN ROME.
THE U-S OFFICIAL TOLD A CALLER FROM NEW DELHI THAT THE UNITED
STATES DOES NOT DISAGREE WITH MOVING TOWARDS GLOBAL NUCLEAR
DISARMAMENT. WASHINGTON, HE SAID, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE
OTHER NUCLEAR POWERS TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION. THE STRATEGIC
ARMS REDUCTION TALKS WITH MOSCOW HAVE YIELDED SUBSTANTIAL
AGREEMENTS, HE SAID. BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE REDUCED THE NUMBER OF
SHORT-RANGE NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY 90 PERCENT. THE BRITISH AND THE
FRENCH HAVE COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO VOLUNTARY REDUCTIONS OF THEIR
OWN. MR. TALBOTT SAID CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY INDIANS AND
PAKISTANI BELIEVE, NUCLEAR ARMS DO NOT ENHANCE SECURITY, INSTEAD,
HE SAID, THEY CAUSE INSTABILITY. REFERRING TO THE FIERCE RIVALRY
BETWEEN INDIAN AND PAKISTAN OVER KASHMIR AND OTHER ISSUES, HE
REMINDED HIS LISTENERS IN SOUTH ASIA THE STAGGERING COSTS OF THE
COLD WAR:
/// TALBOTT ACT 2 ///
JUST MANAGING THE NUCLEAR SIDE OF THAT COMPETITION
ALONE COST THE UNITED STATES FIVE AND ONE HALF
TRILLION DOLLARS. AND THE COST OF PROSECUTING THAT
RIVALRY ON THE SOVIET SIDE CONTRIBUTED TO THE END OF
THE SOVIET UNION AND THE SOVIET SYSTEM. AND THEN ON
TOP OF THAT THERE'S THE DANGER OF WAR. WE'RE TALKING
HERE ABOUT TWO COUNTRIES (INDIA AND PAKISTAN) THAT
HAVE BEEN TO WAR THREE TIMES. AND TO HAVE NUCLEAR
WEAPONS IN THAT MIX CANNOT BE REASSURING TO ANYONE,
PARTICULARLY IN THE ABSENCE OF MUTUAL RESTRAINTS AND
CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES ON THE TWO SIDES THAT
WOULD AT LEAST KEEP THE COMPETITION UNDER SOME KIND
OF CONTROL.
/// END ACT ///
MR. TALBOTT DISMISSED THE INDIAN PRESS REPORTS CITED BY ANOTHER
CALLER FROM NEW DELHI THAT WASHINGTON WAS TRYING TO ENTER INTO A
SECRET DEAL WITH INDIA THAT WOULD PROMISE IT A SEAT IN THE U-N
SECURITY COUNCIL IN EXCHANGE OF ITS ACCEPTANCE OF CTBT:
/// TALBOTT ACT 3 ///
EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WITH OUR INDIAN
AND PAKISTAN COLLEAGUES IS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF
WHAT WE THINK IS REALISTIC AND DOABLE GIVEN WHAT
INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE CHOSEN TO DO AND HAVE SET
THEIR INTERESTS ON. WE HAVEN'T, FOR EXAMPLE, SAID
INDIA AND PAKISTAN MUST ACCEPT THE NPT TOMORROW, OR
EVEN THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. WE HAVEN'T SAID THAT
INDIAN AND PAKISTAN MUST AGREE NOT TO TEST BALLISTIC
MISSILES, EVEN THOUGH WE THINK THAT A BAN ON THE
TESTING OF BALLISTIC MISSILES WOULD ACTUALLY BE A
POSITIVE STEP. WHAT WE HAVE PROPOSED ARE DOABLE
THINGS -- THINGS THAT ARE IN THE CONFINES OF STATED
INDIAN AND PAKISTANI DEFENSE POLICY.
/// END ACT ///
REFERRING TO BALLISTIC MISSILES AND AIRCRAFT CAPABLE OF CARRYING
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, MR. TALBOTT SAID, WE ARE HOPING THAT THE TWO
GOVERNMENTS WILL SEE FIT TO RESTRAIN AND RESTRICT THE DEVELOPMENT
AND DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE DELIVERY SYSTEMS SO AS NOT TO EXACERBATE
OR ACCELERATE THE BALLISTIC MISSILE ARMS RACE THAT MIGHT
OTHERWISE PROVE RUINOUSLY EXPENSIVE TO THE TWO COUNTRIES.
U-S DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE STROBE TALBOTT SAID THAT IF THERE
CAN BEE A BREAKTHROUGH ON STRATEGIC RESTRAINTS AND FISSILE
MATERIAL, HE HOPES TO USE PRIME MINISTER SHARIF'S VISIT TO
WASHINGTON IN EARLY DECEMBER TO ACCELERATE THE PROCESS. MR.
TALBOTT SAID THE RECENT STEPS WASHINGTON TOOK TO HELP PAKISTAN
OVERCOME WHAT HE TERMED DIRE ECONOMIC CRISIS WAS ALSO IN INDIA'S
AND THE WORLD'S INTEREST. HE SAID THE WATCHWORD OF U-S POLICY
FOR SOUTH ASIA WAS EVENHANDEDNESS . (SINGED)
NEB/AA/GE
14-Nov-98 3:48 PM EST (2048 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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