'This Is A Bilateral Dispute'

Foreign Secretary, have your talks with President Musharraf given you any hope that a war can be averted inthis region?

Well my talks with President Musharraf were constructive and forthright. We are all in hope in thissituation. I do not believe that either side, India or Pakistan actually wants a war, but this is one of thesedesperately complex and bitter disputes in which a war could nonetheless take place. So it is the job of theinternational community, it is the job of Foreign Ministers to do everything we can to try to avert a crisis,but no Foreign Minister has it in his or her hands to prevent the parties to this bilateral dispute going towar if they so determine it.

Did you feel that President Musharraf wanted to go to war?

I don't believe that believe President Musharraf or Prime Minister Vajpayee wants to go to war. I believethat both sides recognise the terrible damage, appalling damage, that would be done not only in terms of liveslost but also to the economies of the whole of the region if war was to take place, but wars sometimes do takeplace and do cause such death and destruction. The whole region faces a grave crisis at the moment, what wehave to do is to encourage both sides to this bilateral dispute to step back from the brink by a series ofmeasures.

Did you pick up any hint that there was any behind the scenes movement, any suggestion for example that themilitants might agree to a cease-fire?

I am not going to go into detail of what I discussed in my lengthy meeting with President Musharraf becausethat was confidential. What I did seek to do was to secure a better understanding from President Musharraf ofthe position of Pakistan, of his government, and also to offer him a clearer understanding of the position ofthe international community so far as Pakistan is concerned which is a clear expectation on Pakistan, as onevery other member state of the United Nations, to bear down effectively and comprehensively on all forms ofterrorism, including and in particular in this case cross-border terrorism.

And do you have a message to take to the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Vajpayee, about President Musharraf'scommitment to do that?

I have not come here as a messenger or a go-between, let's be clear about this, I have come here as theForeign Secretary of the United Kingdom with a long historic association in the region, profoundly concernedas we are as members of the Security Council and of course having very large Indian and Pakistani communitiesin our own country, to secure a better understanding of Pakistan's position and a better understanding ofIndia's position and to share our understanding and the understanding of the international community about thegravity of the situation. But this is a bilateral dispute and it can in the end only be resolved bilaterallyby the parties, it is they, not the international community, that have a million men under arms, India andPakistan between them, and they too who have nuclear weapons and the capacity to use them.