Author: Sridhar Krishnaswami
Publication: The Hindu
Date: September 26, 2001
The National Security Advisor and
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, who met
senior Bush administration officials and law-makers here, is said to have
pointed out in a quiet but forthcoming way India's stand on terrorism.
He said that in spite of all the immediate concerns and objectives, the
long-term implications should not be ignored or brushed aside. In particular,
Mr. Mishra is said to have drawn attention to the networking of the Al
Qaeda as it pertains to the ongoing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr. Mishra, it appears, discussed
a broad range of issues with officials and law-makers, especially in the
context of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September
11.
The response from the international
community, including India, has been described here as overwhelming; and
the administration has made it known that different countries will be involved
in different ways in the fight against terrorism.
To say that India is totally out
of the loop in the fight against terrorism is exaggerating things. But
at least in the short term the focus here is quite limited as far as the
Bush administration is concerned. Senior officials have made no bones of
the fact that the prime attention right now is on Osama bin Laden, his
network and training camps.
Among Mr. Mishra's high profile
meetings include those with the President's National Security Advisor,
Dr. Condoleeza Rice, and the Deputy Secretary of Defence, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz.
Today Mr. Mishra will be at the State Department to meet the Deputy Secretary
of State, Mr. Richard Armitage. He will have a session with the U.S. Trade
Representative, Mr. Robert Zoellick, as well before winding up his two-day
visit.
On Capitol Hill Mr. Mishra has had
meetings, among others, with the Chairman of the House International Relations
Committee, Mr. Henry Hyde, and the Ranking member, Mr. Tom Lantos. Mr.
Mishra also met the Republican Senator, Mr. Sam Brownback, a key architect
on the Hill for the lifting or waiving of sanctions against India.
India's National Security Advisor
is in town at a time when the Bush administration has just lifted the sanctions
imposed on India and Pakistan in the wake of the nuclear tests of 1998.
Officials of the two countries are said to be studying the nature and scope
of the President's waiver of sanctions.
As far as India is concerned the
State Department has maintained that the situation is back to the pre-Glenn
Amendment sanction days of 1998. As far as Pakistan is concerned the Bush
administration is said to be studying seriously a bi-partisan Congressional
request for the lifting of democracy-related sanctions as well.
Mr. Mishra is here also at a time
when there has been a tremendous amount of support and political sympathy
for the President of Pakistan, Mr. Pervez Musharraf, for his decision to
fully align with the U.S. in targetting the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.
The political support to Islamabad aside, Washington, along with international
financial institutions are putting together a hefty ``goodies bag'' as
well.
