Author: Tabassum Zakaria in Tallinn
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: June 8, 2002
URL: http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jun/08war10.htm
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard
Armitage said on Saturday that Indo-Pak tensions were down and New Delhi
was expected to take steps to ease the conflict in the next few days.
But he cautioned that the crisis
was far from over.
"When you have close to a million
men glaring, shouting and occasionally shooting across a territory that
is a matter of some dispute, then I think you couldn't say the crisis is
over, but I think you can say that the tensions are down measurably," he
said before meeting US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Armitage came to the Estonian capital
Tallinn, after holding talks in Pakistan and India, to brief Rumsfeld who
will visit the South Asian countries next week.
"It is quite clear that there will
be some actions on the part of India responding to the messages I brought
from Islamabad. So I think quite clearly, at least temporarily, the tensions
are down," Armitage said.
"I understand they are talking about
some diplomatic actions, which could include the return of some people
to diplomatic postings in Islamabad...," he said.
India also planned to make "some
military gestures as well" before Rumsfeld arrives in New Delhi, Armitage
said.
"I got the very strong impression
that they were inclined to respond to the international community who was
basically calling for restraint and a lowering of the tensions," he said.
Armitage said India would take the
steps aimed at de-escalation "in the next couple of days".
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf
made it clear that he would do everything in his power to avoid war, Armitage
said.
"President Musharraf was quite categorical
about the fact that the activities across the Line of Control would be
stopped permanently. And he's quite keen... on entering into a dialogue
on the whole question of Kashmir," he said.
