The leaders of India and Pakistan blamed each other in angry statements yesterday for 55 years of conflict as they sat at the same table while their troops fired at each other in disputed Kashmir.
Russia and China pressed India and Pakistan to enter face-to-face talks to prevent the Kashmir conflict from exploding into a fourth full-scale war between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
PHOTO: AP
But from the tone of the Pakistani and Indian leaders' remarks during a 2 1/2-hour session at an Asian security summit, dialogue appeared even more remote.
PHOTO: AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin, hoping to act as an international peacemaker, held separate one-on-one meetings with both Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf and India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- but there was no sign by the end of the day that the Musharraf and Vajpayee would hold their own talks.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers unleashed fresh artillery and gunfire at each other in Kashmir yesterday. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but eight civilians died in shelling Monday.
"We do not want war. If war is imposed on us, we will defend ourselves with the utmost resolution," Musharraf said, sitting about 5m across from the Indian leader at a rectangular, U-shaped table in the Kazakh city of Almaty.
"The people of South Asia continue to pay a heavy price for the refusal by India to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with resolutions of the United Nations and the wishes of the Kashmiri people."
Vajpayee accused Pakistan of trying to use nuclear blackmail and rejected Musharraf's repeated assurance that "Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used for any terrorist attacks outside or inside its boundaries."
Vajpayee said violence in India's portion of Kashmir and infiltration of Islamic militants from Pakistani territory had not decreased since Musharraf first made that assurance Jan. 12.
"We have seen in the following months that cross-border infiltration has increased, violence in Jammu and Kashmir has continued unabated and terrorist camps continue to operate unhindered across our borders," Vajpayee said.
"We have repeatedly said that we are willing to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir," Vajpayee said. "But for that, cross-border terrorism has to end."
"Nuclear powers should not use nuclear blackmail," Vajpayee said. India has a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons in a conflict, but Pakistan, weaker in conventional arms and army size, has made no such vow.
Vajpayee and Musharraf both sat with pursed lips and stony stares as the other spoke.
With the 14 other delegates, they signed a declaration condemning "all forms and manifestations of terrorism" and promising "to strengthen cooperation and dialogue."
When delegates mingled and greeted each other as the conference ended, the two stood on opposite sides of the room and did not interact.
Vajpayee and Musharraf were meeting separately with several of the leaders at the summit, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
"We cannot but be concerned about the explosive situation in the relations between Pakistan and India, which threatens to destabilize the situation in the whole Eurasian continent," Putin said at the summit, adding that world leaders would make every effort to defuse the crisis.
He then put a positive spin on the acerbic Musharraf-Vajpayee exchange, perhaps trying to drum up optimism for his mediation efforts.
"In the speeches of both leaders we can hear a readiness for dialogue," Putin said.
Putin seemed more comfortable during talks with Vajpayee, whom he met after Musharraf. Putin said he spoke often with the Indian leader and expressed Russia's concern about India's relationship with Pakistan.
However, Putin stressed that "we proceed from the assumption that one must do whatever it takes'' to settle the conflict and that to that end Musharraf had sent ``a series of serious and positive signals" during their talks. Putin did not elaborate.
Jiang urged those involved in regional conflicts to settle ``their disputes peacefully without delay.''
Musharraf said as he arrived in Almaty on Monday night he was ready for ``unconditional talks'' with Vajpayee.
The Indian leader insists that before any talks, he must see proof that Pakistan has withdrawn support from Islamic militants who have fought a 12-year insurgency for the independence of India's portion of Kashmir, or its merger with Pakistan.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS