PM sets condition for resumption of talks with Pak

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that his government is willing to resume dialogue with Pakistan on a condition that Islamabad would desist from allowing its territory for acts of terrorism against India.

''We are committed to resolve all the outstanding issues with Pakistan through bilateral negotiations. Our only condition is that Pakistan should not allow its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India. If Pakistan really honors that commitment, we can go back to negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues between us,'' Dr Singh said in an interview to the Sunday edition of the Washington Post. Dr Singh said India was concerned about the rise of terrorism in Pakistan. ''We have been the victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism for a long time. Now if the Taliban and Al-Qaeda type of terror, which in the past was located in the FATA area (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) of Pakistan, gets transferred to the mainland of Pakistan, I think it has very serious consequences for our own security. We would not like terrorism to lead to a situation where the civilian government is only a nominal government.'' In reply to another question, Dr Singh said, ''If you look at Mumbai, the Pakistanis apparently were not honoring the agreement.

As far as the perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre are concerned, (Pakistan) has taken some steps but not enough. Every day I receive intelligence reports saying that terrorists based in Pakistan are planning other similar acts. ''Obviously al-Qaeda and the terrorists have a grip over several parts of Pakistan,'' he said. ''As far as Afghanistan is concerned,'' the Prime Minister pointed out, ''I'm not sure whether the United States and Pakistan have the same objectives. Pakistan would like Afghanistan to be under its control. And they would like the United States to get out soon. The US objectives are to get Pakistan to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. But I don't see Pakistan wholeheartedly in support of action against the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are of course taking action against the Taliban, but only when it threatens the supremacy of the army.'' Asked about the possibility of India and the United States cooperating against the Taliban, Dr Singh said, ''We have supported the strong presence of the international community in Afghanistan.

We have provided substantial resources for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, about $1.2 billion. We would like to do more and believe we can do it more effectively than any other aid donor. We are involved in strengthening schools, healthcare and electricity.'' Replying to a question about the Indo-US relations, he said ''We are strategic partners. We have good relations. But there is a new administration in America. So it is appropriate that I should renew our partnership.'' ''We have a landmark agreement with the United States on nuclear cooperation. We would like to operationalize it and ensure that the objectives for the nuclear deal are realized in full. My hope is that we can persuade the US administration to be more liberal when it comes to transferring technologies to us. The restrictions make no sense. India has an impeccable record of not participating in any proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. So that's my number one concern,'' the Prime Minister said. Dr Singh said, ''I also think that India and the United States could be partners in refocusing our attention on an equitable, balanced global order.''

-- (UNI) -- 21DF4.xml

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