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South Asian Tensions Are Easing, Armitage Says By Mike Nartker WASHINGTON — Tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan seem to be decreasing as a peace dialogue continues that the two countries hope will ultimately resolve their dispute over the Kashmir region, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said last week (see GSN, July 13). In interviews Thursday with Pakistani media in Islamabad, Armitage said that India and Pakistan are conducting their dialogue, initiated early this year, in a “more relaxed” atmosphere. “I think that now that there is a process under way, there is some confidence being developed, and I think that confidence if it continues to be developed will eventually lead to a situation where the two sides can discuss the very important and the core issues,” Armitage said. As part of the dialogue, the Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries met late last month in New Delhi and agreed to develop a formal system of advance notification for missile tests. The proposal had been one of several risk-reduction measures agreed to earlier in June during expert-level talks held between India and Pakistan. During the foreign secretaries’ meeting in New Delhi, the two countries also agreed to several measures intended to help improve overall relations, such as an increase in embassy staff levels. Last week, India and Pakistan announced plans to hold several meetings between late July and mid-August in New Delhi and Islamabad on issues such as economic cooperation, terrorism and drug trafficking. In addition, the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are expected to meet by the end of August. Since the foreign secretaries’ meeting on June 28, though, there have been several incidents that have threatened to re-raise tensions between India and Pakistan. For example, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has reportedly announced plans to conduct an “extremely important” missile test by the end of summer — a test some experts have speculated may involve a nuclear-capable missile. While missile tests can be “provocative,” India and Pakistan must improve relations to the point where this is no longer the case, Armitage said. In addition, India announced this month plans to increase defense spending in fiscal 2005 by almost 30 percent to $16.8 billion, with some of the increase reportedly set to go toward the creation of Agni ballistic missile units. In response, Pakistan said that India’s proposed defense spending increase was a “cause for concern” and may “wittingly or unwittingly accelerate the arms race” between the two countries. Armitage refused to comment Thursday on the Indian budgetary announcement. He did say, though, that he “found no hostile intent” during a recent trip to India. Armitage also said during his interviews in Islamabad that while the United States is a “friend of both sides,” there are no plans for Washington to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan in their dispute over Kashmir. “Sometimes we are able to carry a message or two, but we’re not going to get in the middle of this. This is a problem that exists between Pakistan and India, and those two parties have to resolve them,” he said. In testimony last week before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, though, experts said the United States needs to be more actively involved in India and Pakistan’s peace efforts. “The United States needs to be actively, strategically and discreetly involved in helping India and Pakistan move their peace process forward,” said Teresita Schaffer, director of the South Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “I remain convinced that a serious and sophisticated U.S. diplomatic effort will be very important to the success of this enterprise,” she said. During the Senate hearing Wednesday, experts also criticized the United States for placing too much emphasis on a direct relationship with Musharraf and ignoring other Pakistani political institutions. Armitage Thursday, though, discounted such concerns. “We value very highly President Musharraf. We find him a man of his word, and a man who has a vision for Pakistan. But, our relationship, we believe, is larger than any one person,” Armitage said.
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