NAM for meet on terrorism

DURBAN, Sept 4 (PTI) — Putting aside South African President Nelson Mandela’s controversial remarks on Kashmir, the nonaligned summit today endorsed India’s key proposals for a global summit on combating terrorism and an international meet for complete elimination of nuclear weapons by 1999.

The issue of Jammu and Kashmir found no mention in the 127-page final declaration adopted at the end of the 12th NAM summit in the early hours here, although Mr Mandela on taking over as the movement’s chairman on Wednesday had asked the member-countries to "lend all strength" to its resolution.

The 114-nation summit also chose to skip any critical reference to the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, but it noted the "complexities arising out of the explosions in South Asia".

Without naming India and Pakistan, the declaration adopted after the two-day summit considered "positively the commitment by the parties concerned in the region to exercise restraint, which contributes to regional security, to discontinue nuclear tests and not to transfer nuclear weapons-related material, equipment and technology".

The original draft para in the declaration, prepared by South Africa, was critical of the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, and had asked all states having the capability to produce nuclear weapons to refrain from weaponising the capability and desist from designing a delivery system.

India rejected the draft para because it amounted to asking Delhi not to weaponise its nuclear capabilities, Indian officials said.

Overwhelmingly endorsing India’s proposal for a summit to formulate a joint global response to terrorism of all forms and manifestations, NAM leaders, in an apparent disapproval of the US missile strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan, opposed "selective and unilateral" action saying it violated United Nations charters.

The declaration emphasised on international cooperation to combat terrorism in conformity with the principles of the UN.

On bilateral disputes among the member-nations, the declaration, without mentioning any country, said they should be resolved through a dialogue and the promotion of confidence and security-building measures and mutual trust between the parties concerned.

The summit expressed concern about the slow pace in achieving nuclear disarmament and said, "with the end of the cold war, there is no justification for the maintenance of nuclear arsenals, or concepts of international security based on promoting and developing military alliances and policies of nuclear deterrence."

It stressed the significance of universal adherence to the CTBT, including by all nuclear weapon states, and commencement of negotiations in the conference of disarmament on fissile materials which it said, inter alia, should accelerate the process of nuclear disarmament.

It highlighted the need for a "constructive" dialogue between the developed and the developing countries to ensure better trade cooperation and establishment of an equitable international economic order.

An accelerated review of the global financial system’s impact on poor countries was necessary to help the marginalised developing nations take advantage of the economic opportunity offered by globalisation and liberalisation, the declaration said.

The main focus of the new economic order should be to help the developing nations "to successfully enter, compete and benefit from globalisation", the summit, declared.

It envisaged a constructive North-South dialogue to strengthen "intergovernmental cooperation and complementary coordination of multilateral institutions".

The NAM leaders called for a dialogue to review the role of global financial bodies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation in the developing nations.

The 127-page declaration also pointed out towards the need for new financial flows to debtor countries, besides debt-relief measures and urged creditor countries and financial institutions to continue to extend concessional financial aid to the developing nations.

SA Deputy President apologises

DURBAN, Sept 4(UNI) — The storm in relations between India and South Africa caused by NAM Chairperson Nelson Mandela’s reference to the Kashmir issue blew over today when that country’s Deputy President Thabo Mbeki tendered apologies to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for the episode.

Mr Mbeki walked up to Mr Vajpayee just before he was to deliver his address at the NAM summit and told him in categorical terms that the reference to Kashmir by Mr Mandela should not be construed to mean that his country was interested in interfering in the internal affairs of India.

The Deputy President, who is to take over as the country’s President from Mr Mandela next year, also assured Mr Vajpayee that the NAM Chairperson would make proper amends when he would deliver his concluding speech with reference to his remarks on Kashmir.

India appeared to be satisfied with the assurance with Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Brijesh Mishra saying "with this development the chapter is now closed.’’

BJP lauds Atal
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 4 — Congratulating the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee for "landmark" achievements in the country’s foreign policy at the just concluded NAM summit at Durban, the Bharatiya Janata Party today asserted that India is growing strong on the national and international front.

Talking to newspersons, the BJP spokesman, Mr K.L. Sharma, said South African President, Dr Nelson Mandela’s "tendering of an apology" to Mr Vajpayee for raising the Kashmir issue in his speech, NAM’s silence over the Pokhran nuclear tests and the summit agreeing to an Indian proposal to call for a global meet to discuss nuclear disarmament are the three major issues on which India’s stand was acknowledged by one and all.

Another positive fallout of the NAM summit is that the way for the next round of Indo-Pak negotiations without third party intervention has been cleared, Mr Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Mr Sharma also hinted that imposition of President’s rule in Bihar is under serious consideration.