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ARF asks Pak to halt terrorism

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, left, chats with his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha prior to the start of the 9th ASEAN Regional Forum in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on Wednesday. — AP/PTI photo

Bandar Sri Bagwan (Brunei), July 31
A security grouping of Asian and Western nations today asked Pakistan to take “urgent further steps” to halt cross-border terrorism as an immediate way to de-escalate the Indo-Pak standoff and not to disrupt Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Ministers of 23-member ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia’s biggest security grouping, also decided to build a network of intelligence and cooperation aimed at cutting off funding to terrorists.

A declaration adopted by the forum after its day-long meeting here put the onus on Pakistan for the resumption of the stalled Indo-Pak dialogue after its foreign ministers echoed India’s position on ending cross-border terrorism as an “important step” to facilitate talks.

The declaration by the ARF representing the major powers came hours after the USA and the EU said it was “incumbent” on Pakistan to ensure an atmosphere free of violence in the run-up to the elections in Jammu and Kashmir and that it did not seek to “disrupt” the poll process.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Pakistan must cease support to cross-border terrorism while EU’s top foreign policy representative Javier Solana said Islamabad had a role and responsibility in ensuring that the J and K elections were not disrupted.

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha in his intervention at the ARF plenary session and bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the USA, EU, China, Japan and Canada said India was always ready for a dialogue once it was convinced that Pakistan has put a stop to cross-border terrorism and dismantled terrorist infrastructure.

During parleys with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Mr Sinha was told that Beijing would very much like to see a reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan and that it was always opposed to violence in Kashmir targeting innocent civilians.

Asserting that China was opposed to terrorism in all its forms, Tang hoped India and Pakistan would resolve their differences through a peaceful dialogue.

Taking aim at terrorist funding, the foreign ministers decided to have a financial intelligence unit in each nation to scrutinise sources of extremist funds, an agreement to freeze terrorist assets without delay and a retooling of anti-money laundering efforts to focus on terrorism.

The forum comprises 10 ASEAN countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore Thailand and Vietnam — along with the countries that have security interest in the region.

Non-ASEAN members are Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, N. Korea, S. Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, the USA, and the European Union.

The ARF declaration called for a speedy implementation of Pakistan’s commitment to end terrorism which it said would help in the resolution of Indo-Pak differences.

The ARF ministers “earnestly looked to Pakistan to take urgent further steps to implementing its commitment to counter terrorism,” the declaration said, adding that this would constitute an “important step towards resumption of (Indo-Pak) dialogue, strengthening of cooperation and resolution of differences through peaceful means to promote regional and international security and stability.”

“An immediate end to all terrorist activities in the region is an essential step to de-escalate the situation,” the declaration said in what could be seen as a setback to Pakistan. PTI

ARF: India to oppose Pak inclusion

Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), July 31
India today said it would oppose Pakistan becoming a member of the security grouping of 23 Asian and Western nations as long as it continued its policy of using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and did not become a democratic state. Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told reporters that India would not agree for Pakistan’s candidature for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) if it did not meet its conditions and that it had objections. PTI