DATE=02/25/99
TYPE=WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-11165
TITLE= THE LAHORE SUMMIT: A WELCOME FIRST STEP TO PEACE
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS AROUND THE WORLD ARE GREETING THE
LAHORE SUMMIT BETWEEN THE PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN
WITH CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM AS A GOOD FIRST STEP TO EASING BILATERAL
TENSIONS ON THE SUB CONTINENT. WE GET A SAMPLING NOW FROM
________________ WHO JOINS US WITH THIS WEEK'S WORLD OPINION
ROUNDUP.
TEXT: LAST MAY, WHEN INDIA DETONATED ITS OWN, HOME-GROWN NUCLEAR
BOMB IN THE DESERT, THE EXPLOSION SENT BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AS WELL
AS PHYSICAL SHOCK WAVES AROUND THE WORLD. IT SIGNALED A
GENERALLY UNWANTED EXPANSION OF THE EXCLUSIVE NUCLEAR NATIONS
CLUB.
TENSION ROSE PALPABLY JUST WEEKS LATER WHEN PAKISTAN FOLLOWED
WITH ITS OWN BLASTS, TO ANSWER THE INDIAN DETONATION, AND REMIND
NEW DELHI THAT ITS AGE-OLD ENEMY WAS PREPARING FOR A POSSIBLE
REGIONAL NUCLEAR WAR.
NOW, IN WHAT THE WORLD PRESS IS HAILING AS AN IMPORTANT FIRST
STEP TOWARD REDUCING TENSIONS, THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS HAVE MET
FOR A WEEKEND OF TALKS IN THE [PUNJABI] PAKISTAN CITY OF LAHORE.
IT WAS THE FIRST TRIP TO PAKISTAN BY AN INDIAN PRIME MINISTER IN
TEN YEARS, AND NOW THE TWO LEADERS ARE TALKING OF WAYS TO REDUCE
TENSIONS AND WARN EACH OTHER OF FUTURE BALLISTIC MISSILE TESTS,
AMONG OTHER THINGS. OUR SAMPLING BEGINS IN THE INDIAN CAPITAL,
NEW DELHI, WHERE "THE HINDU" NEWSPAPER EXPRESSED ITS HOPES THIS
WAY.
VOICE: NAWAZ SHARIF AND [PRIME MINISTER] VAJPAYEE HAVE
DEMONSTRATED COMMENDABLE DETERMINATION TO TREAD A NEW
PATH OF RECONCILIATION AND GOOD NEIGHBORLINESS,
DISPLAYING RARE COURAGE TO DEPART FROM SCRIPTS THAT HAD
TILL NOW REDUCED THE SCOPE FOR POSITIVE ACTION TO
IMPROVE BILATERAL RELATIONS. THE LAHORE DECLARATION...
IS INDEED A STEP FORWARD. ... PERHAPS THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT IS THE DECISION THAT THE TWO FOREIGN
MINISTERS WILL MEET PERIODICALLY TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF
MUTUAL CONCERN ...
/// OPT ///
TEXT: TO BOMBAY NEXT, WHERE "THE INDIAN EXPRESS" ONE OF THE
NATION'S LARGEST NATIONAL DAILIES, SAYS FUTURE MEETINGS AGREED TO
MAY BE EVEN MORE PRODUCTIVE.
VOICE: BUSING TO PAKISTAN HAS TURNED OUT TO BE MORE USEFUL THAN
ANYONE COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES ...
BY CHIPPING AWAY AT MENTAL BLOCKS, THE PRIME MINISTERS
OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE STARTED SOMETHING FEW WOULD
HAVE THOUGHT POSSIBLE A FEW MONTHS AGO. THERE IS [A]
LONG WAY TO GO. ...[HOWEVER] KEEPING UP THE MOMENTUM
AND THE CAN-DO SPIRIT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
/// END OPT ///
TEXT: IN CALCUTTA, THERE WAS LESS OPTIMISM IN "THE STATESMAN."
VOICE: THE ONE SPEED-BREAKER [EDITORS: WE CALL THEM "SPEED
BUMPS" IN WASHINGTON] ON THE ROAD TO LAHORE WAS KASHMIR.
IF THE PRIME MINISTERIAL BUS DIDN'T QUITE BREAK DOWN
UPON IT, IT REMINDED EVERYONE, IF ... NECESSARY, THAT
THE VALLEY REPRESENTS THE YET UNBRIDGEABLE GULF BETWEEN
NEIGHBORS ...
TEXT: NOW FOR THE PAKISTANI REACTION, WE CHECK IN WITH "THE
NEWS" IN KARACHI, WHICH INTONES:
VOICE: IT IS BUT NATURAL TO ASK: WHERE AND WHAT IS THE
SUBSTANCE THAT HAS COME OUT OF THE LAST TWO DAYS OF
HIGH-PROFILE DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY ... THE IMPRESSION THAT
HAS BEEN CREATED IS THAT THE CENTRALITY OF ADDRESSING
THE KASHMIR DISPUTE HAS BEEN AT BEST CROWDED-OUT, AND AT
WORST LOST, IN THE VERBIAGE ...
/// OPT ///
TEXT: TO THE SITE OF THE TALKS NOW, WHERE LAHORE'S "JANG"
WRITING IN URDU, WAS ALSO HOPEFUL OF A NEW ATTITUDE.
VOICE: THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP OF THE TWO COUNTRIES AND
MODERATE PUBLIC OPINION HAVE REALIZED THAT THEY HAVE
WASTED HALF A CENTURY IN FIGHTING, AND THAT NOW [THEY]
WILL HAVE TO CREATE A NEW TRADITION OF FRIENDLY AND
NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS ...
/// END OPT ///
TEXT: HOWEVER, IN ISLAMABAD, "AUSAF" WAS N O T HAVING ANY OF THE
RECONCILIATION TALK.
VOICE: MAY GOD KEEP OUR PASSION OF HATRED ALIVE. ... WE HOPE
... OUR KASHMIRI BROTHERS WILL BE SATISFIED TO SEE THE
PASSION OF PAKISTANIS THAT THEIR PAKISTANI BROTHERS
WILL N O T BETRAY THEM. LEADERS OF PAKISTAN MAY WELCOME
[THE INDIAN LEADERS] BUT THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN ... HAVE
N O PLACE IN THEIR HEARTS FOR THE KILLERS OF KASHMIRIS.
TEXT: ACROSS THE GLOBE, HOW DID THE SUMMIT LOOK TO THE
CANADIANS? "THE TORONTO STAR" WAS MODERATELY HOPEFUL.
VOICE: CYNICS WILL BE UNDERWHELMED BY THE INDIA-PAKISTAN THAW,
AFTER A TEN-YEAR DIPLOMATIC FREEZE. ... ANYWHERE ELSE
THIS [MEETING] WOULD BE BUSINESS-AS-USUAL. ... YET THE
LAHORE SUMMIT QUALIFIES AS SIGNIFICANT, IF ONLY BECAUSE
INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE NOT DONE BUSINESS IN THE
ORDINARY WAY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
TEXT: TURNING TO THE MIDDLE EAST, FROM THE CAPITAL OF DOHA,
QATAR, "THE PENINSULA" IS DISAPPOINTED MORE WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED.
VOICE: GIVEN THE BROUHAHA, ONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED AT LEAST A
COMMITMENT TO SIGN THE COMPREHENSIVE [NUCLEAR] TEST BAN
TREATY BY MUTUAL CONSENT. /// OPT ///... HAVING
ACHIEVED PARITY IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND MORE RECENTLY ON
THE CRICKET PITCH, [PLAYING FIELD] THE ATMOSPHERE WAS
FAVORABLE ENOUGH. ... [BUT] /// END OPT /// HISTORY
WILL RECORDED THIS LATEST ENCOUNTER AS A MISSED
OPPORTUNITY.
TEXT: FARTHER EAST, IN TOKYO, ONE OF THE LARGEST DAILIES IN THE
WORLD: "ASAHI" ECHOED THE DOHA DAILY, NOTING:
VOICE: WE CANNOT HELP HARBORING DISSATISFACTION AND MISGIVINGS
ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE LAHORE ACCORD, WHICH
PRESUPPOSED INDIA AND PAKISTAN POSSESS NUCLEAR ARMS ...
THIS BILATERAL ACCORD COULD HARDLY BE SUFFICIENT TO EAST
INTERNATIONAL CONCERN OVER NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION.
/// OPT ///
TEXT: FROM ROMANIA, "ROMANIA LIBERA" IN BUCHAREST, TAKES A VERY
DIFFERENT VIEW:
VOICE: IN SPITE OF NOT ACHIEVING ANY SPECTACULAR AND IMMEDIATE
RESULTS, THE LAHORE DECLARATION CAN BE CONSIDERED ONE OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN ASIA,
MARKING A CHANGE IN (INDO-PAK) BILATERAL RELATIONS THAT
HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE
REGION ...
/// END OPT ///
TEXT: AND LASTLY, IN BRITAIN, WHERE THE "TIMES" IN LONDON,
TINGES ITS COMMENT WITH CAUTION.
VOICE: HOWEVER BROAD THE SMILES OR WARM THE EMBRACE OF THE TWO
LEADERS, THEIR PERSONAL COMMITMENT CAN ONLY START THE
PROCESS ... MR. VAJPAYEE AND MR. SHARIF MUST PICK
IMAGINATIVE AND FLEXIBLE MEN AS THEIR CHIEF NEGOTIATORS.
THEY MUST REVISIT THE TALKS TO INSIST ON PROGRESS IF
THEIR INITIATIVE IS NOT TO RUN INTO THE SAME SANDS AS
THE FOREIGN MINISTERS' DIALOGUE IN 1997. AND THEY MUST
PRODUCE RAPID AND VISIBLE BENEFITS OF THE DETENTE THAT
CREATE THE CONFIDENCE TO TACKLE THE INTRACTABLE ISSUES.
TEXT: WITH THAT, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF WORLD PRESS
REACTION TO LAST WEEKEND'S INDIA-PAKISTANI SUMMIT IN
LAHORE.
NEB/ANG/PT
25-Feb-99 6:46 PM EST (2346 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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