Making A Point

FOR years India has fought almost a lonely battle against terrorism, especially the kind emanating from across its borders. There were few serious takers of its concerns over cross- border terrorism, especially in the West, and even fewer who recognised the urgent need to act. But as the century’s last General Assembly session got under way at the United Nations in New York last week, it looked like New Delhi may not have to battle it out alone in the next millennium.

Even before India’s external affairs minister Jaswant Singh addressed the 54th General Assembly and called on states to strengthen an international consensus against terrorism, a number of countries who took the floor in the first four days of the two- week special debate of the assembly touched on this issue and felt there was a need for cooperation to stamp it out. Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov told the assembly that Moscow supports the initiative of holding an anti- terrorist conference under UN auspices or a special session of the General Assembly. "We are fully aware of the danger posed by threats and challenges that the world is facing today, militant nationalism, separatism and terrorism. It is necessary to finalise the draft Convention on Fighting Acts of Nuclear Terrorism," he said, referring to the proposal which Moscow has tabled.

Although Russia has traditionally focused on the issue of nuclear terrorism, it seems to be working for a statement by the Security Council on international terrorism, although it was not very clear what exactly that would be. The Russian sentiment was alm ost echoed by Namibian President Sam Nujoma, who asked for close cooperation among members to eliminate terrorism. "Namibia wishes to record its firm stand against all acts, methods and practices of terrorism and reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of such acts." A number of other members, including France, the United States and Canada, also talked about the threat from international terrorism and the need to combat it. "The possibility that terrorists will threaten us with weapons of mass destruction can be met with neither panic, nor complacency. It requires serious, deliberate disciplined concern and effective cooperation from all of us," said US President Bill Clinton.

The issue of terrorism, particularly in the context of Afghanistan, also came up for discussion very promine

ntly during Singh’s bilateral meetings with Ivanov, British foreign secretary Robin Cook   and others like Dr Kamal Kharrazi, foreign minister of Iran. Although no specific proposals emerged out of these meetings on how to combat the threat, many saw a point in India’s concerns and contentions. For instance, Cook agreed when Singh told him how Afghanistan has become a breeding ground for "many different brands of terrorism" and its disastrous spillover effect on countries like India. "I find a remarkable coincidence not only of concerns regarding the developments in Afghanistan but also the approach to how we need to collectively tackle the issue through the United Nations," Singh told journalists at a press conference at the UN, referring to his ongoing parleys with Central Asian states and others.

ALTHOUGH Singh did not accuse Pakistan in as many words during his address, he later said the Kargil conflict with Pakistan was the result of an encouragement to cross- border terrorism. "It was a manifestation of terrorism on a much larger scale," he told UN correspondents. During the assembly session, India’s expected to strive to build a consensus among member states on the need for an early negotiation and adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

The task may appear daunting, but there are hopes that it would not be impossible

given that more and more countries, from both the developed and developing world, were coming under terrorist attacks and slowly veering round to India’s view that terrorism is a great global menace and the antithesis of all that the UN stands for. "In earlier years this plea (to tackle terrorism collectively) seemed to fall on stony ground. But a rash of terrorist bombings in the West galvanised the rich and powerful countries into action," Lakshman Kadirgamar, the Sri Lankan foreign minister, said in his address to the assembly. "Today we have one UN Convention in place and two others under consideration at this session." Although not everyone seemed to be concerned like India with the threat of terrorism in the context of the developments in Afghanistan, the fact that member states were generally taking note of the issue was by itself deemed a positive trend. "I think that more and more countries will become alive to the problem," UN officials said.

But is this mere lip service to the issue of terrorism, given that so far only eight out of 47 states who signed it have ratified the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, adopted by a resolution of the General Assembly in December ’97? "I won’t say that a lot of countries are giving lip service. There are, in many cases, domestic legal problems for countries to sign on this instrument and I suspect that a number of countries signed it in a hurry but they find it not as easy to ratify," Palitka Kohona, head of the UN Treaty Section, told

Outlook . However, he said, since the UN provides a forum for discussion on treaties, it would like to see that states ratify as early as possible.

"The fact that some big countries have taken the lead in ratifying the convention should act as an impetus for others to follow suit," he said. India ratified the convention— which requires states to either prosecute or extradite those accused of terrorist bombings within their territory— on September 22, the day Singh addressed the assembly and presented the instrument of ratification to UN secretary- general Kofi Annan.

Apart from taking up cudgels against terrorism, Singh also made a high pitch for achieving real progress on issues like disarmament, UN reform and sustainable development, a goal to which India attaches utmost importance during the current session. He told the assembly that it should consider five areas of action in the opening years of the next decade, including binding, irreversible steps to reduce the dangers of nuclear weapon use, reform and expansion of the Security Council and strengthening of the development system. He said India’s commitment to global nuclear disarmament stands undiluted and said it was ready to negotiate a nuclear weapons convention that will prohibit forever the development, production, stockpiling, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons and provide for elimination of all existing weapons under international verification. On the question of signing the CTBT , Singh told journalists that it would be decided by the new government which would be in place by next month.

Singh also reiterated the Indian position on Kashmir, saying it was an integral part of India, and "not a core issue" as projected by Pakistan. However, he said, the Indian government was willing to talk with Pakistan on "all issues, without any preconditions". "The path of India- Pakistan composite dialogue is open. No preconditions attend to it. The only essential ingredient that remains is an abjuring of violence and cross- border terrorism. Principles that are integral to both the Shimla agreements and the Lahore declaration, indeed the very process of peace itself. This process needs to be resumed."

To this, Pakistan foreign minister Sartaj Aziz responded by launching a scathing tirade against New Delhi, accusing it of fomenting terrorism against Pakistan, initiating the war in Kargil and, of course, repression of the Kashmiri people. He also attacked India’s nuclear doctrine, saying Pakistan would enhance its nuclear and missile capabilities to counter it. Asking the international community to "restrain" India, he said: "India’s ambitions threaten peace and stability not only in  South Asia, but also in the adjacent regions, including the Gulf and sea lanes of the Indian Ocean." He dismissed India’s offer of a "no first use" pact as an attempt to "gain acceptance as a nuclear weapons state and to justify its acquisition of a massive nuclear arsenal as a second- strike capability".

Singh also stressed New Delhi’s position that the UN Security Council be made more responsive and representative with developing countries inducted as permanent members. He said India, by all objective criterion, qualifies for permanent membership. "We want to see the 54th assembly to act as a stepping stone for the Millennium Session, making real progress on important issues," said an official. Diplomatic sources said that Singh’s address, which touched upon the concerns of a number of countries in general, went down well among the diplomatic community. Singh, expected to meet US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, is also scheduled to address the SAARC ministerial meeting next week and the Small Islands Developing States.