19 October 1999
A Stable Pakistan in Interest of the U.S. and India, Says Inderfurth
(Assistant Secretary says U.S. is not walking away from Pakistan) (530) By William B. Reinckens Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Karl F. Inderfurth told the annual conference of the US-India Council October 19 that the United States is "not walking away from Pakistan because a stable, democratic and prosperous Pakistan is in the interest of India and the United States." "Pakistan now is neither stable, prosperous nor democratic," Inderfurth said. He added that the U.S. last week cut off economic and military aid to Pakistan as a result of the military coup. Inderfurth welcomed the announcement by Pakistan's military army chief Musharraf in his speech to the nation that Pakistan would withdraw from Kashmir to international borders. However, the U.S. official suggested that the army might want to withdraw further to the Line of Control that was the boundary before Pakistan's incursions into Kargil. As Acting State Department Spokesman James Foley said earlier in the day, "we have important areas on which we need to work with Pakistan." Among them are promoting talks with India and trying to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Inderfurth said. "Democracy must be restored to Pakistan. Long-term military control is unacceptable," Senator Sam Brownback, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Near Eastern and Southern Asian Affairs, told the conference. On U.S. relations with India, Inderfurth said the recently elected government of India's Prime Minister Vajpayee and the new coalition it has formed represent a "continuity" that could lead to improvements in "economic reform, rural development, and national security" for India. He said he expects to discuss security and non-proliferation issues with India's External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh when he arrives in Washington next week on an official visit. These discussions were held up because of India's political situation and the recent elections, he said. Inderfurth noted that in two weeks, pending Congressional passage and President Clinton's signing into law, economic sanctions that were imposed on India and Pakistan as a result of their testing of nuclear devices could be lifted. He also announced that Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson will visit New Delhi and Varanasi next week to discuss energy and environmental issues, marking the first high-level contact between the U.S. and India since the Vajpayee government was sworn in October 13. Inderfurth expressed the hope that greater "liberalization" of India's economy would improve the U.S.-India economic relationship, which he predicted could launch a "second generation of reform" on the continent. He also predicted that an economic package that would encourage more trade between the two countries would be ready next month. Inderfurth said he would like to see India open up its telecommunications and insurance to investment. India's Ambassador to the U.S. Naresh Chandra told the conference that seven multi-million dollar power projects were approved last month and India is opening up its oil and power resources for exploration. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)
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