Sridhar Krishnaswami
The Hindu
Posted on
TitlRight climate must for talks with Pak.: PM Author: Sridhar Krishnaswami Publication: The Hindu DatSeptember 18, 2000 WASHINGTON, SEPT. 17. There would have to be the right conditions for a dialogue with Pakistan, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, said at a gathering of Indian Americans here last night. He went by bus to Lahore but it reached Kargil. India had extended the hand of friendship. ``Everybody is asking us to talk. But what to talk about? The weather, or about the family?'' the Prime Minister said amid laughter from the audience at a reception at the Constitution Hall, sponsored by many organisations including the Overseas Friends of the BJP, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh.. During the Kargil conflict, India showed restraint, he said and to standing ovation declared, ``after every war, you (Pakistan) lost some land. You have been wanting Kashmir in the past and will continue to want it. But you will not get Kashmir.'' If Pakistan was not prepared to implement old agreements, how could it be expected to implement new ones? Mr. Vajpayee touched on the situation in South Asia, nuclear weapons, the strengths of democracy, the role of the Indian Americans and their contributions to both India and the U.S. The Prime Minister's observations on nuclear issues were on the lines he had expounded before. The bottom line was that India's programme was defensive in nature and a response to developments in its neighbourhood. He referred to the criticism of India's nuclear programme from countries which had themselves refused to get rid of their arsenals. Mr. Vajpayee spoke in Hindi and when he was asked to speak in English, declined saying he was going by the guidelines drawn by the World Hindi Conference of 1970 in Mauritius. Pointing out that each country had its own language and that he had spoken in Hindi even at the United Nations, the Prime Minister said, ``if a Tamilian comes to the U.N., he will speak in Tamil.'' The Prime Minister was cheered several times during his address by an audience with which he felt comfortable. At the community function, he was variously described by speakers and in a documentary as the ``great and most popular'' Prime Minister of India, someone who would be remembered as a ``statesman, reformer, nation builder and visionary'' and the first Prime Minister to recognise the importance of the non- resident Indians. `A rewarding programme' Later in a statement, the Prime Minister said India was increasingly being recognised as a ``responsible and stabilising'' force in Asia and that this role could only grow over the decades. ``Our concerns over South Asia are also gaining increasing acceptance,'' he said. Characterising his visit to the U.S. as a full and rewarding programme, Mr. Vajpayee said it had carried forward the momentum of Indo-U.S. relations most satisfactorily. ``Without doubt there is now a repositioning of India in global and regional affairs.'' At the United Nations and in his bilateral talks, he had conveyed India's ``readiness to shoulder broader responsibilities'' in the coming decades and projected New Delhi's thinking on the growing threat of terrorism. Expressing happiness at the growing momentum and deepening of the relations between the two ``greatest democracies'', the Prime Minister said he was confident the coming years would see this relationship grow ``imbued with new content, greater understanding and enhanced cooperation''. The Prime Minister was to have made his statement at a press conference after a community event on Saturday evening, but it was cancelled at the last minute. This was the second time a scheduled press conference had been cancelled, the first being one scheduled jointly with the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, for Friday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Overseas Friends of the BJP (USA) .............. Voic(718) 271-0453 54-15, 108th St. ................................. Fax: (718) 271-1906 Corona, NY 11368............................ WWW: http://www.ofbjp.org BJP's Websithttp://www.bjp.org Worldwide Friends of the BJ http://www.ofbjp.org/fob
This archive was generated by (modified version of) hypermail.pl 1.00