HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- : Friday, January 04, 2002 2:52 PM
UK and US warning over
Kashmir
Nicholas Watt in
Dhaka
Friday January 4, 2002 The Guardian Britain and the US fear the real
threat of war between India and Pakistan could destabilise the wider world and
drag in larger nuclear powers such as China.
Tony Blair has held an intensive round of discussions with George Bush over
the holiday period to coordinate Anglo-American efforts to quell tensions on the
Indian subcontinent.
The prime minister warned yesterday of the dangers ahead if the bellicose
words of the two nuclear nations were turned into action.
As he arrived in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, at the start of a six-day
tour of south Asia, Mr Blair declared that the military build-up in the disputed
territory of Kashmir presented "enormous problems for the wider world".
He said: "As we saw on September 11 the danger is that when these events
occur they do not stop at the borders of any one country. Attention has focused
on India and Pakistan because of the enormous problems the whole of the wider
world would face if they get it wrong."
He arrived in Dhaka amid tight security. Police with automatic weapons
dispersed a crowd of religious leaders and seminary students who shouted slogans
accusing Mr Blair of being a "mastermind of torturing and killing Muslims across
the world".
The protests cast a pall over Mr Blair's trip, when he hopes to act as a
"calming influence" between India and Pakistan, the region's two nuclear powers.
Downing Street is understood to be concerned that the Kashmir dispute, which was
re-ignited when Islamist extremists launched a suicide attack on the Indian
parliament last month, could escalate beyond the subcontinent and drag in China.
Officials have noted with alarm that General Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani
president, is travelling via China to this weekend's regional summit in Nepal.
Beijing, a long-term foe of India's, has played a key role in helping Pakistan
to build up its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Asked whether Gen Musharraf's China visit demonstrated that tensions between
India and Pakistan could destabilise the wider region, Mr Blair said: "There is
a reason why President Bush and I have been speaking regularly over the holiday
period. That is because it is a very serious issue with potentially far reaching
consequences if the tensions get out of hand."
His remarks indicated that his discussions with Mr Bush went well beyond
Afghanistan and tensions on the Indian subcontinent to encompass wider questions
about world stability. Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, is so alarmed by
the Kashmir dispute that he has told British officials he fears another
Arab-Israeli conflict.
There is no immediate fear that China would launch any attacks. But clear
Chinese support for Pakistan would alarm India and further destabilise the
region.
During his stop in Beijing last night, Gen Musharraf was reported to have
told Premier Zhu Rongji he was willing to work to ease tensions with India
through dialogue.
"Pakistan hopes for peace, opposes war, and is willing to work to ease the
tensions through dialogue," Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
Mr Blair said he would deliver tough messages in separate talks with Gen
Musharraf and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Indian prime minister. "I cannot start
telling each country how to run their own affairs," he said. "But of course what
we want is for the Pakistani side to act against terrorism. On the Indian side -
to try to de-escalate tension... It is very important that, given the military
capability of both powers, we do everything we possibly can to calm the
situation."
He added: "I hope that by putting over the view on behalf of everybody in the
international community I can have a calming influence."
Mr Blair, who was accompanied by his wife Cherie, held talks last night with
the Bangladeshi prime minister, Khaleda Zia, and asked Dhaka to contribute
troops to the multinational force supporting the interim government in Kabul.
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