echarcha
May 20th, 2002, 10:38 AM
WASHINGTON: A high-powered defence delegation that arrived in Washington on a scheduled visit to discuss military cooperation with the US is meeting top officials of the Bush administration on Monday to convey New Delhi's assessment of the border situation.
Talks about guns, radars and jet engines will momentarily take a back seat as Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain and his team brief Cabinet level US officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, about the crisis involving Pakistan.
The team is also expected to call on Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers.
The delegation, formally known as the Defence Policy Group (DPG), will begin its scheduled nuts-and-bolts talks on defence cooperation with the US team led by Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith on Tuesday. For now, however, the border flashpoint is on top of the agenda.
Ahead of Monday's meetings, Indian officials have already conveyed to both the White House and the State Department that New Delhi's patience had been worn thin by Pakistani provocations and perfidies and the Indian government is being compelled to take what it terms "appropriate action".
India's Ambassador to Washington Lalit Mansingh met with Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca on Friday and later called on Deputy Secretary Armitage to present both the Indian perspective and evidence of continued Pakistani aggravation.
Accounts vary as to what exactly transpired at the meetings. One version is that US officials tried to convince India that their pressure on Musharraf is bearing results, sought some more time to work on Pakistan, and counselled patience.
However, Indian officials are contesting the view that US pressure, if there is any at all, is working.
On the contrary, Washington's reluctance to lean on Pakistan had emboldened the country to aggravate the situation. New Delhi had waited for several months for General Musharraf to act on his word to clamp down on terrorism but he had not done so, it was conveyed.
Now, time was running out and public clamour in India was mounting to act against repeated incidents of terrorism, US officials were told.
Armitage himself is scheduled to go to the region, most likely in the first week of June. One reason for the delay is he cannot leave Washington when Secretary of Powell is away. He will be the acting Secretary of State when Powell accompanies Bush on visits to Russia and Europe beginning shortly, and will be relieved from the stand-in duty only when Powell returns.
Read more here (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Articleshow.asp?art_id=10484647)
Talks about guns, radars and jet engines will momentarily take a back seat as Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain and his team brief Cabinet level US officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, about the crisis involving Pakistan.
The team is also expected to call on Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers.
The delegation, formally known as the Defence Policy Group (DPG), will begin its scheduled nuts-and-bolts talks on defence cooperation with the US team led by Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith on Tuesday. For now, however, the border flashpoint is on top of the agenda.
Ahead of Monday's meetings, Indian officials have already conveyed to both the White House and the State Department that New Delhi's patience had been worn thin by Pakistani provocations and perfidies and the Indian government is being compelled to take what it terms "appropriate action".
India's Ambassador to Washington Lalit Mansingh met with Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca on Friday and later called on Deputy Secretary Armitage to present both the Indian perspective and evidence of continued Pakistani aggravation.
Accounts vary as to what exactly transpired at the meetings. One version is that US officials tried to convince India that their pressure on Musharraf is bearing results, sought some more time to work on Pakistan, and counselled patience.
However, Indian officials are contesting the view that US pressure, if there is any at all, is working.
On the contrary, Washington's reluctance to lean on Pakistan had emboldened the country to aggravate the situation. New Delhi had waited for several months for General Musharraf to act on his word to clamp down on terrorism but he had not done so, it was conveyed.
Now, time was running out and public clamour in India was mounting to act against repeated incidents of terrorism, US officials were told.
Armitage himself is scheduled to go to the region, most likely in the first week of June. One reason for the delay is he cannot leave Washington when Secretary of Powell is away. He will be the acting Secretary of State when Powell accompanies Bush on visits to Russia and Europe beginning shortly, and will be relieved from the stand-in duty only when Powell returns.
Read more here (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Articleshow.asp?art_id=10484647)