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India, Pak resume talks on CBMs
Ashok Tuteja
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 26
After a gap of four years, India and Pakistan today resumed talks on nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures (CBMs) as part of the peace process revived in February after a hiatus of more than two years in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

The two countries discussed conventional CBMs today and will take up nuclear CBMs tomorrow at the meetings being held in the Pakistan capital.

The Indian side was led at today’s meeting by YK Sinha, Joint Secretary dealing with Pakistan in the External Affairs Ministry, while the Pakistani delegation was led by Munawar Saeed Bhatti, Additional Secretary in the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, and a former Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner in India.

At the crucial talks on nuclear CBMs to be held tomorrow, the Indian side will be led by Venkatesh Verma, Joint Secretary in-charge of Disarmament in the External Affairs Ministry, while Bhatti will lead the Pakistani team.

This is the fifth round of expert-level talks on conventional CBMs and the sixth on nuclear CBMs. The last round on the two subjects was held in October 2007.

Officials here were tight-lipped about the outcome of the talks but stated that a joint statement was expected to be issued tomorrow. Indications are that the CBMs could be announced by the two sides when the Indian Foreign Minister visits Islamabad in July next year.

Sources said the two sides were discussing expanding conventional CBMs to include avoiding incidents at sea. Other issues on the table are promoting trade and movement of people across the Line of Control (LoC).

In the area of nuclear CBMs, a further expansion could include pre-notification of cruise missile launches and discussions on a cooperative arrangement for dealing with Fukushima-like disaster.

Reports suggest that Pakistan also desires cooperation with India in the field of civil nuclear energy in view of the fact that the latter has got a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) to undertake nuclear commerce. Like India, Pakistan too is an energy deficient country. However, New Delhi does not seem interested in it.

The meetings are also reviewing the existing CBMs to make them more effective such as the practice of holding flag meetings on the border, not constructing new posts along the LoC and the practice of exchanging lists of nuclear installations on January one every year.

Moving Closer

n The talks on nuclear and conventional CBMs are a part of a peace process that was revived in February after a hiatus of more than two years in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

n The two countries discussed conventional CBMs on Monday and will take up nuclear CBMs on Tuesday at the meetings being held in Islamabad.

n Reports suggest that Pakistan also desires cooperation with India in the field of civil nuclear energy in view of the fact that the latter has got a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group to undertake nuclear commerce.

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