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Wednesday, July 22, 1998

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SC gives govt 3 weeks
Final reprieve to settle Cauvery row
NEW DELHI, July 21 (PTI) — The Supreme Court today gave three week's time to the Union Government to iron out differences between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the framing of a scheme to implement the interim award of the Cauvery Tribunal and said it was not inclined to grant adjournments beyond August 12.
"Thus far and no further", a three-Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi told Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee appearing for the Centre when he sought six week's time to resolve the vexed issue of implementation of the June 1991 interim award of the tribunal directing Karnataka to release 205 TMC feet of Cauvery water annually to Tamil Nadu on a weekly basis.
As soon as the proceedings began before the Bench the Judges wanted to know the stand of the Government of India on the issue of framing of a scheme for implementation of the interim award.
Mr Sorabjee submitted before the court that in pursuance of the April 1997 assurance by the government to frame the scheme, discussions had been held at the highest level to achieve implementation of the order in a harmonious way.
"The outcome of these discussions so far has not been successful though the government was hopeful of ironing out the differences and perceptions", he said.
The Judges repeatedly referred to the apex court order of April 9, 1997, asking the government to frame a scheme for the implementation of the interim award and said the government was bound to do so.
The Attorney-General made it clear that there should not be an impression that the present government wanted to go back on the April 1997 assurance given to the court on framing of the scheme.
"The whole idea is to create a proper atmosphere to ensure that the scheme was implemented in a harmonious way. Enforcement becomes easier when there is acceptability", Mr Sorabjee said, adding that it was because of the repeated differences over the implementation that the Centre was taking so much time.
Senior counsel for Tamil Nadu K. Parasaran submitted before the court that the controversy centred only around the question of implementation of the April 1997 orders of this court.
Earlier, one of the Judges, Mr Justice K.T. Thomas (who hails from Kerala) dissociated himself from the Bench after Kerala Government counsel P.S. Potti submitted that though the state was not directly concerned over the implementation of the apex court order of April 1997, it was interested in the principles regarding the framing of the scheme.
Initially the court was inclined to adjourn the hearing by a week but after repeated persuasion by the Attorney-General the Judges gave the government three week's time to get back to the court with a final decision.

Tamil MP's feel betrayed, walk out
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 21 — Members from Tamil Nadu staged noisy walkouts in both Houses of Parliament today as the government sought time from the Supreme Court on the Cauvery river waters sharing issue to work out an amicable solution in consultation with the four southern states.
Even as members from Tamil Nadu charged the government with "betrayal", the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, told the Lok Sabha that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, would convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry to work out a draft scheme for sharing of the Cauvery waters.
He said the government had sought time from the Supreme Court as no solution was possible at this stage when all states concerned had taken a hardened stand on the issue.
Mr Khurana admitted that the situation might become explosive if the matter remained unresolved and assured the House that the government would work out a solution. He said the Prime Minister during his talks with the Chief Ministers of the four states, he would try to narrow down the differences and aim to resolve the issue.
The minister made the statement after the Cauvery issue rocked Parliament for the second day today with Members from Tamil Nadu insisting on an immediate notification of the scheme for implementation of the Cauvery Tribunal’s interim award for the release of 205 TMC feet of water annually for the state.
Cutting across party lines, Members of the AIADMK and its allies, the DMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress, staged separate walkouts in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The emotive issue saw all the members from Karnataka uniting to oppose the stand taken by the Tamil Nadu Members. They accused Tamil Nadu of political exploitation to wrest more concessions on the Cauvery issue.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, the AIADMK leader, Mr R.Muthiah, criticised the government for seeking more time and adjournment before the Supreme Court today.
He said the previous United Front government, which had a heavy representation from the DMK and TMC, had betrayed the interests of the state and "we are seeing the same betrayal now" from the BJP-led coalition government.
Mr Murasoli Maran of the DMK contested the claim of the AIADMK members and said the previous government had made a draft scheme for sharing of the Cauvery waters but it could not be implemented.
Mr Muthiah wondered why the government was hesitating to notify the scheme and demanded a response from the government. He then led a walkout of his party members from the House.
Mr Vaiko of the MDMK said the BJP government had done injustice to the state by not notifying the scheme and said he had to join the walkout with a "heavy heart."
Mr Maran admitted that the issue was a difficult one to resolve and asked why the government was adopting a dilatory attitude. He also led a walkout of his party members. The DMK’s ally, the TMC also followed suit.
Members from Kerala — Mr K. Karunakaran of the Congress and Mr Krishna Das of the CPM — said the Centre should not take any decision on notifying the scheme without involving the state.
It was a similar scene in the Rajya Sabha with the Tamil Nadu members protesting against the Centre’s callous inaction in notifying the scheme to implement the Cauvery Tribunal’s interim award.
The leader of the DMK, Mr Viduthalai Virumbi, AIADMK leader R.Margabandu, Mrs Jayanthi Natarajan of the TMC and their colleagues were up on their feet the moment the Zero Hour began.
The Members charged the BJP-led coalition with adopting delaying tactics and said the government had abdicated its responsibility. Much of what the members said was lost in the din that ensued.
Mr Virumbi read out a prepared statement before leading his Members out of the House.
Irked by the repeated raising of the Cauvery issue in the House, Mr Alladi Rajkumar, leader of the Telegu Desam Party, was heard saying that the House could not allow the issue to be raised again and again.
The issue also figured at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting this morning with Mr R. Kumara-mangalam presenting the case on behalf of Tamil Nadu and Mr Anantha Kumar arguing the case in favour of Karnataka.
Emerging out of the meeting, the Prime Minister said no solution had been found since the states concerned were adamant on their respective stands. "We are asking more time from the Supreme Court. In that time we will try to find a solution," he said. In case a solution was not found, then the situation could be explosive, he added.
Mr Vajpayee suggested that MPs from the BJP representing the states should sit together and work for a solution. He also said that a similar approach should be adopted by other political parties.
The BJP General Secretary, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, assured that the government could not and would not function under pressure whether it be from Karnataka or Tamil Nadu.

Indo-US talks wrapped up
Tribune New Service
NEW DELHI, July 21 — The third round of Indo-US talks ended today with a wrap-up meeting between the US Assistant Secretary of State, Mr Strobe Talbott, and the Prime Minister’s special envoy, Mr Jaswant Singh. The US delegation later left for Islamabad.
While the official sources declined to give details of the meeting today, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesman said that it was a "wrap-up meeting". The two sides have agreed to meet for a fourth round of discussions in Washington in the middle of next month.
Mr Jaswant Singh, who is leading the Indian delegation to the next meeting of the Asian Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila on July 28, is expected to meet the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright there. Sources said that Ms Albright is expected to give some elaboration on the US stand to Mr Singh.
Mr Talbott had brought a letter for the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, from the US President, Mr Bill Clinton. A reply from Mr Vajpayee is being sent through diplomatic channels, sources said.
Considerable ground was covered at the third round of talks in New Delhi, sources said, adding that the gap between the US and the Indian perceptions on the CTBT, disarmament and non-proliferation issue had been reduced.
Meanwhile, the US Deputy Secretary of State today had a 30-minute meeting with the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, during which a wide range of issues, including disarmament and non-proliferation, figured.
The meeting between Mr Talbott and Mrs Sonia Gandhi is considered significant because the US official did not meet the leader of any other political party. He met the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Prime Minister’s special envoy, Mr Jaswant Singh. Though Mr Talbott had discussions with the former Prime Minister, Mr I.K.Gujral, yesterday but it was in the capacity of Mr Gujral being a former Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Though neither the Congress nor the US side gave out any details of the meeting between Mrs Gandhi and Mr Talbott, sources said that the issue of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) figured in the meeting.
A Congress press note said: "Mrs Gandhi and Mr Talbott discussed a wide range of subjects of mutual interest and concern to both countries. The discussions were held in a cordial atmosphere".
When asked to give details of the meeting, the Congress spokesman, Mr Ajit Jogi, said that the party was not for a "compromise on national interest". The country should not sign the CTBT in the present form and keep its independence of action, Mr Jogi said.
The Congress is of the firm view that the economic sanctions were totally unwarranted and should be withdrawn immediately, Mr Jogi said, adding that India should not be seen with the prism of other countries.

India plans to renew no-first-use offer
NEW DELHI, July 21 (PTI) — India will renew its proposal to Pakistan for a no first-use agreement of nuclear weapons in Colombo when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee meets his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on July 29.
Senior External Affairs Ministry officials told newspersons that New Delhi has expressed its willingness to discuss such a pact both bilaterally with Islamabad and also multilaterally with other countries.
Mr Vajpayee and Mr Sharif in the fringes of the Colombo SAARC summit will discuss all eight outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir which had been identified by the two neighbours in Islamabad on June 23, last year.
The focus of attention during the Vajpayee-Sharif talks will be on how to proceed with the stalled bilateral dialogue process, they said, adding that New Delhi was keen on normalisation ties with Pakistan.
Other issues that will figure during the talks between the two Prime Ministers are Siachen, Sir Creek boundary dispute, Tulbul navigation project, terrorism and smuggling of narcotic drugs, trade and commercial cooperation and people-to-people contacts.
COLOMBO: Amid mounting security concern, a top luxury hotel, where heads of SAARC member nations would stay during next week’s summit here, was today closed for public for 11 days.
Days before the SAARC summit begins on July 29, five star Taj Samudra hotel has been reserved exclusively or the heads of member states, advertisements appearing in official media said.
The closure of the hotel, located overlooking the picturesque galle face green and the sea beyond, comes close on the seizure of LTTE suicide jackets from the nearby fort area recently and three parcels suspected to be containing explosives from a suburban bus yesterday.
With LTTE’s penchant for striking in a big way before any major national or international event, Sri Lankan police and security forces were sparing no effort to minimise chances of LTTE infiltration into the venues for the conference.