The idiom, demands, priorities of nuclear diplomacy are a new field for India: Jaswant Singh

Jaswant Singh is happy that there was no unanimity in condemning India. He spoke to senior editor Manoj Joshi in Manila. Excerpts:Q. Why is the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) important?A. It is the only forum in Asia which deals with security-related issues and bridges the Asia-Pacific to the Indian Ocean. As the ASEAN describes it, "The footprint of our concerns cover India." India's engagement in this forum, where the European Union, G-8 and P-5 are present, is most significant because we participate in its deliberations as equals. In the present context, it has enabled India to establish contact with the ASEAN, US, Russia, China and Japan and provided a great opportunity to put across our point of view.Q. What have we achieved on the nuclear issue at this meeting?A. India really placed a big question mark before the post-Cold War global order with its nuclear tests. For India to expect that the rest of the globe would be indifferent to this development is not realistic ... India is used to diplomacy of the old mode. The idiom, the demands, the language and priorities of nuclear diplomacy are a new field for India. The country's nuclear diplomacy was under test in the ARF, not so much in the ASEAN meeting but most definitely against the P-5 and G-8 countries which were there. Confronted with this situation, we withstood the challenge well.Q. What does that mean?A. We had to carry the conviction of our rationale based on our national priorities and imperatives. There was no unanimity in condemning India between ASEAN and ARF and within P-5 and G-8 which is an aspect of our nuclear diplomacy carrying conviction. Along with the concern about the tests in South Asia, an item high on India's list-disarmament related to Article VI of the NPT-was placed on the agenda. This is a matter of extreme discomfiture to nuclear weapons states.Q. What about talks with Madeleine Albright?A. They are part of the talks that have taken place in the past three rounds with Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. In that sense they provided a continuation and confirmation of the US position. I cannot comment on the substance of the continuing discussions.Q. This was the first round of high-level talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan. Is there any positive movement here? A. We spent an hour together, double the scheduled time. We placed on the table our respective concerns. The significance of the meeting was that it took place. Also significant was its duration and the confirmation that there was interest on both sides in continuing contact at various levels.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 10, 1998--- ENDS ---

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The idiom, demands, priorities of nuclear diplomacy are a new field for India: Jaswant Singh

Jaswant Singh is happy that there was no unanimity in condemning India. He spoke to senior editor Manoj Joshi in Manila.

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