28 July 2002
Powell Press Conference in New Delhi July 28
(Secretary meets with Indian leaders to discuss tensions in region)
(3060)
Following is a transcript of Secretary of State Colin Powell's press
conference July 28 in New Delhi concerning his meetings with Indian
leaders during the first leg of his visit to South Asia, which also
includes stops in Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei,
Indonesia and the Philippines:
(begin transcript)
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Maurya Sheraton
New Delhi, India
July 28, 2002
SECRETARY POWELL: Good morning ladies and gentleman. It is a great
pleasure for me to be back in New Delhi. This is my third trip in the
last ten months and on this occasion let me begin my press conference
by expressing my sincere condolences on behalf of President Bush and
the American people for the sad loss that the Indian people have
suffered. We extend our deep sympathy to the family and friends of
Vice-President Kant and to all of the Indian people.
I look forward today to my meetings with Prime Minister Vajpayee,
Deputy Prime Minister Advani, National Security Advisor Mishra, and
last evening I had good discussions with my new counterpart, Ministry
of External Affairs Sinha. The Prime Minister's team and I have
established a good relationship over the past 18 months that has
yielded, in my view, very, very positive results. As befits our
transformed bilateral relationship, it is important that the
leadership of India and the United States remain in close and frequent
contact.
As President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee directed us last fall
when they met, we have opened the new strategic dialogue to transform
our relationship. We are conducting intensive and valuable diplomatic
exchanges on issues ranging from Afghanistan to trade, we are working
together on counter terrorism issues, on intelligence, on law
enforcement and on science projects. We have deepened economic
dialogue. We have agreed that there is enormous potential for
additional trade between our two sides, a potential that we now move
toward with a specific program to realize.
As the United States looks forward to pressing ahead with India on all
of these fronts and more, we'll be doing it a very intensive way as
reflected in the number of visitors who will be coming to India in the
weeks ahead. Deputy Secretary Armitage will return in August,
Assistant Secretary John Wolf will be visiting in early September to
begin a new strategic framework dialogue with a focus on proliferation
efforts. Assistant Secretary Christina Rocca will come back in late
September to kick-off a regional dialogue. Under Secretary of State
for Political Affairs Mark Grossman will continue our security
dialogue. Treasury Secretary O'Neill will be in New Delhi in November,
and Under Secretary of Commerce Ken Juster will also visit this fall.
And we look forward to welcoming many Indian officials to the United
States so it can be truly seen as a two-way street going back and
forth.
I'm sure that the Prime Minster and I will discuss the tensions that
exists between India and Pakistan and to explore the further steps
both sides can take to diffuse the tension. I do take note of the
fact, however, that the situation has improved considerably over the
past month. We have been able, for example, on the U.S. side, to
return our families who had temporarily moved back and we have also
been able to change our alert levels or caution levels to a point
where we are now hopeful that more tourists, more American tourists
will return to India and more businessmen and women will come and find
ways to enhance trade between the United States and India.
I am pleased that the United States was able to play a role with the
international community in helping to lower the tension level. Deputy
Secretary Armitage's visit last month, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's
visit, my very frequent phone calls to the Minister for External
Affairs as well as the work we did at the other side; President
Musharraf [of] Pakistan, I think, has played a useful role in bringing
the tension down but at the same time the tension is still there and
there is much more that we need to do. Both armies remain mobilized.
The situation remains tense. And so we look to India to take further
de-escalatory actions as Pakistan makes good on its pledges to
permanently cease support for infiltration. I look forward to my
conversation later today with President Musharraf on the pledges that
he has made to the United States and to the international community.
We are also looking to the future. It is time to get started on making
regional stability permanent. Kashmir is on the international agenda.
The United States will extend a helping hand to all sides so that they
can achieve a more peaceful, less divisive future.
We are looking to both India and Pakistan to take steps that begin to
bring peace to the region and to ensure a better future for the
Kashmiri people. The problems with Kashmir cannot be resolved through
violence, but only through a healthy political process and a vibrant
dialogue.
We welcome India's commitment to hold free and fair elections, and we
believe an inclusive election, meeting these standards, can serve as
the first step towards peace and reconciliation. We look forward to
concrete steps by India to foster Kashmiri confidence in the election
process. Permitting independent observers and freeing political
prisoners would be helpful.
We also look to all parties to do their part to ensure that the
upcoming elections can be held in safety and without interference from
those who would like to spoil them, for those who do not wish to see
peace and reconciliation. Kashmiris want to run or vote in the
elections. And if they do so, they should be allowed to do so, without
endangering their lives.
Elections alone, however, cannot resolve the problems between India
and Pakistan, nor can they erase the scars of so many years of strife.
Elections can however, be a first step in a broader process that
begins to address Kashmiri grievances, and leads India and Pakistan
back to dialogue. Only a productive and sustained bilateral dialogue
on all issues, including Kashmir, will prevent future crises and will
finally bring peace to the region. I would like to thank my Indian
hosts for their hospitality and for the constructive discussions that
I've already had and I know will continue through the morning. And in
the months and years ahead the United States will looks forward to
deepening its friendship with a thriving, peaceful and democratic
India.
And I am now prepared for your questions.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the Indian spokeswoman said last night that
infiltration levels across the line of control have decreased only
marginally over the past six weeks. I don't believe you referred to
that when your opening remarks. How do you assess the situation along
the line of control?
SECRETARY POWELL: There has been a reduction in infiltration levels,
whether one would classify it as marginally or not marginally, I can't
answer. But it seems clear from the information I have that
infiltration is continuing. And I think we must make every effort to
end it. President Musharraf has pledged that he would end it, and
would end on a permanent basis and I look froward to discussing that
in greater detail with him and sharing the information he has compared
to the information I have received here in India.
I think it is important that the infiltration come to an end so that
we can create conditions that will allow dialogue, will allow both
sides to be confident in one another again, that will create
conditions that will permit a peaceful, fair and open election in
Kashmir later this year and then following the Kashmiri elections then
Pakistani parliamentary elections, we will be in a better position to
see the kind of sustained dialogue that I think is needed between the
two sides to move forward on a variety of issues that are outstanding
between the two sides to include the issue of Kashmir.
QUESTION: It appears that the U.S. is very intensively engaged in
South Asia and in deference to India's wishes, you say you are not
playing the role of a mediator but effectively don't you think in
South Asia that the U.S. is playing the role of a mediator?
SECRETARY POWELL: What the U.S. is trying to do is to play the role of
a friend. A friend to India, a good friend to Pakistan, a good friend
to the other nations of South Asia. I met in my office the other day
with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. When last I was here, on my way
out, I visited in Nepal. So the United States has good relations with
all of the nations of South Asia, perhaps better then at any time in
the last quarter century. And we are anxious to improve those
relations: U.S.-Indian relations, U.S.-Pakistani relations, U.S.-Sri
Lankan, -Bangladeshi, all of those nations.
If we improve those relations, and we are seen as a good partner to
all those nations, then we are in a position to perhaps, from time to
time, assist nations in resolving differences that they have, not as
an interfering friend, not as a mediator, but somebody whose good
offices can be used in order to bring people to the table so that they
can talk to one another and deal with the problems that exists between
the two of them. So I see that as the role of friends whose good
offices are used to help people get into a room and begin discussion
and move away from conflict, not as a mediator or somebody who is
interfering in someone else's internal or external affairs.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you've outlined for us what you'd like to ask
of Pakistan but on the way here you said you had certain, you were
going to ask for certain steps to be taken by both sides. Can you tell
us what you've asked India to do and what the response has been?
SECRETARY POWELL: Those discussions of course are still going on. I
met with my new colleague Minister Sinha last evening and I have three
meetings this morning so I think I'll wait until I have concluded all
of those meetings and have a full exchange before commenting publicly
on what I might have discussed with them.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, are you in favor of the Hurriyat parties
taking part in the Kashmir elections?
SECRETARY POWELL: I think that the election should be as open as
possible. And groups that have demonstrated responsible action and
wish to participate in the free and open and democratic process should
be allowed to do so.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I understand a Palestinian delegation is
coming to Washington shortly after your return. Can you confirm that
you will be meeting them, what you will be discussing and does this
mean that the Palestinian Authority has in some way been rehabilitated
in the eyes of the United States?
SECRETARY POWELL: I do expect to meet with the Palestinian delegation
upon my return. Last week I met with an Israeli delegation. This is
part of our process of moving forward, to help the Palestinian
community transform itself. The specific names of the delegation
members we'll announce in due course. And I'll be discussing with them
security transformation, the work of the task force that we announced
in New York the week before last, what the different working groups
will be doing and how we can link in with the Palestinian leadership.
I hope that the people coming to see me will be individuals who have
been empowered to speak for the Palestinian people and who will have
the authority to execute whatever decisions we arrive at or positions
we arrive at.
So this is all consistent with the plan that President Bush has laid
out with respect to the transformation of the Palestinian community
and is consistent with the work that we have been doing with the
Quartet group as it is known and now the expanded Quartet group called
the task force.
QUESTION: You have been speaking of inclusive elections and free and
fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir. If the Hurriyat and the
separatist moderate leaders stay out of it, would the international
community still look upon these as free and fair elections and are
there any measures that you have outlined to the Indian government
during, or will be, about how to make these more representative?
SECRETARY POWELL: Free, fair and open in our minds suggest that all
should be allowed to participate if they are responsible participants
and ready to play by the rules. In my conversations with the External
Affairs Minister last night I made the point that moderate elements
should be encouraged, that there should be the release of those who
have been detained who can play a positive role in generating turnout.
There should be hopefully an atmosphere of safety and peace provided
by both sides.
I will be speaking to the Pakistani side about taking every effort to
avoid disturbing these elections. And I hope that those who so far had
indicated reluctance to participate will by time the elections come
around find that the atmosphere of confidence has improved to the
extent to where they can come out, feeling safe, and feeling able to
participate in an open political process. If you don't have that then
the international community may not judge the elections in a proper
way and an opportunity may have been lost. This is the message I am
giving to both sides.
QUESTION: Can you explain to us the resistance of the Indian
government to having independent election observers? You've pointed
out that this would be very helpful. Can you explain why they consider
this to be an impediment or interference in some way?
SECRETARY POWELL: They believe that they are capable of running the
elections without a formal monitoring system but at the same time they
recognize the value of having outsiders, international personages,
present in the region. Now I have encouraged them to make it as easy
as possible for people to travel to the region, outsiders to travel to
the region, because it will give greater credibility to the results
even if it isn't an official global sponsored monitored regime.
But if you have an enough outsiders there you can see what is taking
place, you can see whether people are able to campaign in peace, you
can watch the process of debate among candidates who can then monitor
the actual conduct of the elections, who see the actual conduct of the
elections, and then can give their own individual impressions and
statements about what they have seen. That seems to add a level of
credibility to the election that would benefit the Indian government
and would benefit the perception that the international community
would have of the elections. So we're encouraging the Indian
government in that regard.
QUESTION: You mentioned yesterday in your meetings that India and the
United States have to work together in several areas, work harder
together to the several areas to improve the ties. Could you tell us
what are those areas and what exactly steps are being taken to improve
these bilateral ties?
SECRETAY POWELL: The two leaders, Prime Minister Vajpayee and
President Bush when they met, laid out a number of areas that we
believe that we should cooperate on: counter terrorism, energy, the
environment, trade, commerce, proliferation, non- proliferation,
education issues. We should not restrict our agenda just to a single
list but that's a pretty good list to start with.
We really are looking for the broadest possible relationship with
India -- the two greatest, largest democracies in the world -- the
United States and India -- should be doing much more with each other,
to talk to one another, to get to know one another, to increase the
level of trade between the two nations. As large as India is and as
large as America is with its large economy, there isn't enough trade,
there isn't enough commerce between the two nations. And so I think
that ought be one of our highest priorities.
And the reason I want to focus on these issues is that very often
people look at U.S.-Indian relations only through the prism of what's
going on on the line of control. That is important and we will watch
that and will work with both sides on reducing tension and conflict
across the line of control.
But we have to keep in perspective the broader relationship and that
is why I wanted to focus on that and touch on what the Prime Minister
and President committed themselves to last year. All the areas I
touched on and all the various officials I made mention to was for the
purpose of saying to the people of India we are not just here, I am
not just here, because there is crisis in the region. I am here for
the third time in ten months because India is important to the United
States. India plays an important role in South Asia and the United
States understands that. And we want to build on the friendship that
exists between our two nations, transform it into a deeper
relationship.
But we also want to do the same thing with Pakistan. And we want to do
it in a way that both nations will see that the United States can be
friends to both. It is not a zero sum game and every time somebody
sees we are doing something that looks like it benefits Pakistan, it
is not necessarily at the expense of India. In fact it won't be at the
expense of India. We can move forward with both the nations, enhancing
our relationship and improving life for all of the countries, the
United States, Pakistan, and India and do it the way it shows the
United States is here as a friend and a partner.
Thank you.
[End]
Released on July 28, 2002
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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