France accepts India as N-weapon: PM
Tribune News Service

ON BOARD PRIME MINISTER’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Oct 1 — India has achieved a major diplomatic breakthrough, with the acceptance of India by France as a nuclear-weapon state.

This was disclosed by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to newspersons on his way back from Paris at the end of a nine-day visit to New York and France.

It may be recalled, France is one of the five existing nuclear weapon states (P-5). Mr Vajpayee was appreciative of the understanding and responsive attitude of the French Government.

On the issue of India signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Prime Minister made it clear that the decision would depend on the outcome of the talks India was having with key interlocutors.

He said by announcing a unilateral moratorium on conducting further nuclear tests, India had already accepted the substance of the CTBT.

(In a separate statement issued here on his return, the Prime Minister said during his address to the U N General Assembly he had reiterated India’s commitment to universal and non-discriminatory global nuclear disarmament and its earnest desire to work with all other countries, particularly nuclear-weapons states to eliminate this category of weapons of mass destruction.

Regarding the CTBT, Mr Vajpayee said he conveyed India’s preparedness to bring the ongoing discussions with key interlocutors to a successful completion, so that the entry into force of the CTBT was not delayed beyond September, 1999, the statement said.)

Mr Vajpayee indicated that there were several hurdles in the way of the CTBT coming into operation and that it was difficult to say what stand the US Senate, which is having strong reservations, would take on the issue in the coming months.

He said even though some countries had signed the treaty many had not yet ratified it as was mandatory under it.

On the ongoing talks with the USA, when asked if America had offered any concessions to India for agreeing to move forward on the CTBT issue, he said New Delhi was not indulging in any bargaining.

India, he said, was not pressing for lifting of sanctions imposed on it by the USA and said the country could withstand the fallout of sanctions.

In the post-Pokhran phase, he said, certain misgivings had arisen and most countries were not appreciative of India’s security concern.

He said there was a difference in the opinion of several leading countries now than what it was in May when they were critical of the nuclear tests.

Now more and more countries and even public opinion makers in the USA were accepting that India’s genuine security concerns had led to the nuclear tests.

The Prime Minister also clarified his remarks about India and the USA being natural allies was in the context of 21st century. Everything, he said, would depend on the change of American attitude and treating on equal footing.

Terming his meeting with the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN session as ‘’significant and important’’, he said, the groundwork for it was done at Colombo (on the sidelines of SAARC), crystallised in Durban (during NAM) and given a concrete shape in New York.

Mr Vajpayee said in his talks with Mr Nawaz Sharif, there was no mention of atomic weapons.

The Prime Minister said India looked forward to the resumption of the stalled Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan on outstanding bilateral issues including peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir.

He said almost all countries had welcomed the decision of India and Pakistan to reopen official-level talks to resolve outstanding problems between the two sides.

The stalled Foreign Secretary-level talks are to resume in Islamabad later on October 15 and the second round is to be held in India later.

This resulted in Pakistan’s failure to internationalise the Jammu and Kashmir issue at the recent UN session, he said. Mr Vajpayee also said that Pakistan’s attempt to link the Kashmir issue with the nuclear tests also proved futile.

Mr Vajpayee also had a special word of praise for the NRIs, specially those in the USA, who he said played a significant role in lobbying after the nuclear tests.

On his meeting with the former US Secretary of State, Mr Henry Kissinger, the Prime Minister said he informed that India was a secular nation and that the BJP was not anti-minorities.

Mr Vajpayee said he told Mr Kissinger that USA should accept India as a big power and on equal footing.

"Mafia Raj in Bihar"
Tribune News Service

ON BOARD THE PRIME MINISTER’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Oct 1 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today defended the Union Cabinet recommendation to impose President’s rule in Bihar but left the option open of sending back the recommendation to Mr K R Narayanan.

Speaking to newspersons on the way back home after his nine-day visit to the New York and Paris, Mr Vajpayee reiterated: "Mafia Raj’’ is prevailing in Bihar.

To a question whether his Government will reconsider the recommendation on imposing President’s rule in Bihar and keeping the state assembly in suspended animation, Mr Vajpayee said: "I will not like to make any comment till I have consulted my colleagues and see what has transpired (during his absence)’’.

It may be recalled the Union Cabinet chaired by the Home Minister, Mr LK Advani, met last Saturday and decided not to press the recommendation after the President had returned the earlier decision on the imposition of President’s rule for reconsideration.

The Prime Minister denied that he had undertaken the visit to divert public attention from pressing domestic issues including the Bihar imbroglio.

He said the trip to U N was not under normal circumstances as the entire world was watching with interest what India had to say on the CTBT after conducting nuclear tests.