DATE=6/12/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-250568
TITLE=INDIA / PAK / TALKS (L)
BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: TALKS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON DEFUSING THE KASHMIR
CRISIS HAVE ENDED WITHOUT AGREEMENT IN NEW DELHI. THE TALKS
ENDED WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF BOTH COUNTRIES STILL FAR
APART ON THE NATURE OF THE CONFLICT IN KASHMIR, AND HOW TO SOLVE
IT. V-O-A'S JIM TEEPLE REPORTS FROM NEW DELHI.
TEXT: FOREIGN MINISTERS SARTAJ AZIZ OF PAKISTAN AND JAWANT SINGH
OF INDIA WERE FAR APART AS THEIR MEETING ENDED. IN SEPARATE
BRIEFINGS, THEY TRADED ACCUSATIONS ABOUT WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE CONFLICT IN KASHMIR.
MR. SINGH SAYS PAKISTAN PROPOSED DE-ESCALATING THE CONFLICT IN
KASHMIR BY HAVING BOTH SIDES END ARTILLERY STRIKES ACROSS THE
KASHMIR BORDER, AND ALSO BY HAVING INDIA END ITS AIR STRIKES IN
INDIAN KASHMIR.
MR. SINGH SAYS THE ONLY WAY TO DE-ESCALATE IS FOR PAKISTAN TO
REMOVE WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS "INFILTRATORS" WHO HAVE INVADED
INDIAN TERRITORY.
/// SINGH ACT ///
WE ARE FOR TOTAL DE-ESCALATION AND DE-FUSING -- NOT
PARTIAL, NOT AS A DEVICE. AND CERTAINLY NOT AS A
DISGUISE FOR ACHIEVING OTHER ENDS. MY REACTION [TO THE
PAKISTANI PROPOSAL] WAS CLEAR AND SPECIFIC: REMOVE THE
FACTOR THAT HAS CAUSED THE ESCALATION, AND THAT WOULD BE
THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND IMMEDIATE DE-ESCALATION.
/// END ACT ///
// OPT // MR. SINGH SAYS HIS TALKS WITH MR. AZIZ ARE NOT A
DIALOGUE. HE NOTES THE PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT TOOK
PLACE AT PAKISTAN'S REQUEST. TO CLASSIFY MR. AZIZ'S VISIT AS A
DIALOGUE, SAYS INDIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER, WOULD BE A "MISNOMER."
MR. SINGH SAYS IN HIS TALKS WITH MR. AZIZ, PAKISTAN REPEATED ITS
POSITION THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE "LINE OF
CONTROL" HAVE YET TO BE FULLY ESTABLISHED, AND THAT SECTIONS OF
THE LINE SHOULD BE RE-EVALUATED. THAT, SAYS MR. SINGH, IS
SOMETHING INDIA WILL NEVER AGREE TO. HE SAYS THE "LINE OF
CONTROL" IS BASED ON A BILATERAL TREATY WITH PAKISTAN SIGNED IN
1972. // END OPT //
AT A SEPARATE BRIEFING, PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER SARTAJ AZIZ
DENIED BACKING THE GUERRILLAS. HE SAYS THE TWO SIDES DISAGREE
EVEN ON HOW THE FIGHTING STARTED. MR. AZIZ SAYS THE FIGHTERS
INDIA TERMS AS "INFILTRATORS" ARE ACTUALLY FREEDOM FIGHTERS FROM
INSIDE KASHMIR. HE DENIES THAT PAKISTANI TROOPS ARE FIGHTING
ALONGSIDE THE GUERRILLAS.
PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER ADMITS LITTLE CAME OF THE TALKS IN
NEW DELHI, BUT SAYS HE DOES NOT EXPECT THE CONFLICT TO
ESCALATE.
/// AZIZ ACT ///
IF YOU ASK ME IN TERMS OF THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH I CAME
TO NEW DELHI, WHICH IS TO DE-ESCALATE, I CAN SAY THAT AT
LEAST THE CHANCES OF FURTHER ESCALATION DO NOT SEEM
STRONG. FURTHERMORE, IF IT WILL BEGIN TO DE-ESCALATE
WILL DEPEND ON WHETHER INDIA WILL ACCEPT THE PROPOSALS
THAT I HAVE MADE.
/// END ACT ///
MR. AZIZ SAYS THE MAIN PROBLEM IN KASHMIR IS THAT KASHMIRIS, IN
HIS WORDS, "HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN THE RIGHT OF
SELF-DETERMINATION."
MEANHILE, FIGHTING CONTINUES IN KASHMIR. COMMANDERS SAY THEY
HAVE RE-TAKEN A STRATEGIC PEAK AFTER FIERCE FIGHTING AT AN
ALTITUDE OF MORE THAN FIVE-THOUSAND METERS. INDIA CONTROLS
TWO-THIRDS OF KASHMIR AND PAKISTAN ONE-THIRD. TWO OF THE THREE
WARS THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE FOUGHT HAVE BEEN OVER THE DISPUTED
TERRITORY. (SIGNED)
NEB/JLT/WTW
12-Jun-99 12:54 PM EDT (1654 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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