Musharraf gets the royal snub

Musharraf gets the royal snub
Chidanand Rajghatta

WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 6: The Clinton administration today bluntly rejected third party mediation in the Kashmir issue saying it continued to believe that direct, bilateral talks was the best route to resolving the matter.

The US rebuff came in response to Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf's plea in a New York Times interview in which he called for ``strong mediation,'' from the international community to resolve the issue.

``Our approach is Kashmir is not changing...we do not see ourselves as mediators. As President Clinton has said, we continue to encourage the process of dialogue between the two countries by following the four R'sincluding respect for the Line of Control and restraint,'' an administration spokesman told The Indian Express.

The formulation, though a familiar one in recent months, is interesting because of the alacrity with which it followed the Musharraf interview this morning and ahead of the Vajpayee visit to Washington. This, and similar statements by key administration officials, suggest that the US, continuing to encourage direct contacts between the two sides, by and large agrees with New Delhi's line that Pakistan has to show good faith and temper its bellicosity before it can initiate a dialogue.

In his NYT interview Musharraf said: ``Unless there is mediation, strong mediation, justice cannot come about...Mediation is definitely required, and East Timor provides an excellent example of how the situation canbe solved if the world community showed the will,'' he said.

But judging the readout of the immediate response formulated by the state department, the Clinton administration appears to be telling the general tofirst reign in the aggression and create the climate for talks.

The talks-only-after-Pakistan-proves-its-bonafideshas its critics both within and outside theadministration. ``What is the benchmark and who is tosay Pakistan has done enough? India has taken itsgrievance about Kargil too far and too long. Zerocontact like this is counterproductive," says ShirinTahir-Kheli, a former NSC official now with JohnsHopkins University.

But zero contact is what the Indian side is ensuringin New York, going to extreme lengths to ensure theIndian leadership does not bump into the Pakistani topbrass at the UN session. While Musharraf is slated toaddress the second round table at the UN session latertoday, India has opted for the third session. It willbe addressed by External Affairs Minister JaswantSingh instead of the Prime Minister, who arrives hereonly Thursday afternoon.