India to raise Pakistani nuke facilities bogey at Nuclear Summit

[Neo]

India to raise Pakistani nuke facilities bogey at Nuclear Summit

April 2, 2010

Bharat (aka India) is chagrined that Pakistan has been invited to the Nuclear Summit–a clear recognition of Islamabad’s Nuclear status. Bharat did not want Pakistan at the summit. Now that the invitation has been sent and the Pakistani leadership is there, Delhi will give solid proof of “aman ki asha (its wish for peace) by disparaging Pakistan, and bringing up counterfeited, spurious and frivolous matters which it knows have no merit. The Bharati strategy is to berate Pakistan, bring up supposititious issues of safety and security and and the dangers.

* The safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal will be high on India’s agenda when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attends the Nuclear Security Summit.
* The possibility of terrorists and extremist groups gaining access to nuclear materials is real.
* According to Bharat “The AQ Khan network has continued to pose a very real threat”

The Nuclear summit is being held under the backdrop of Pakistan’s Strategic Dialogue with Pakistan, in which the US at least tacitly listened to Pakistani requests. Many analysts, including Bharati ** at Sify news think that a deal has ben struck between the US and Pakistan.

The twin of the Indian nuclear deal was conceived long ago, when China insisted that such deals should be criteria based and not country specific. It was more than a year ago that a think-tank study suggested that a nuclear deal for Pakistan was desirable on the same ground that worked in the Indian case — a partly regulated Pakistani nuclear system would serve the cause of non-proliferation more than a totally unregulated one.

When George W Bush [ Images ] talked about different histories and different records, he was referring, perhaps, to the Chinese role in building up the Pakistan arsenal and the Nuclear Wal-Mart operated by A Q Khan.

India uses the same arguments. But the fact of the matter is that the US has put these two concerns behind them. US presidents had repeatedly certified that Pakistan had no nuclear weapons, when they knew well that China was filling Pakistan cupboards with fissile material.

If Chinese collaboration did not hurt the US then, there is no reason why it should hurt the US now? Kayani and Qureshi did not go empty handed. March 29, 2010 10:34 IST

Despite these realities, the Bharati delegation is going to the summit half-cocked, and ready for battle against the Turkish Armies which are actually windmills. This Quixotic crusade in Pakistan will surely end in another huge embarrassment for Delhi. Ambassador Bhadrakumar was right, Bharat is unable to make corrections to the colossal failure of its foreign policy. It continues with the Charge of the Light Brigade, knowing that all is not well and will not end well.

NEW DELHI: The safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal will be high on India’s agenda when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attends the

Nuclear Security Summit which is in Washington from April 12 to 13.

Sources said that Pakistan’s participation in the summit was good as it would bring greater focus on the security of nuclear material in the region. The international community has expressed concerns about terror elements getting access to nuclear weapons in Pakistan. For India, the geographical proximity of Pakistan and cross border terrorism makes it a very real threat.

India’s permanent representative to the United Nations Disarmament Conference in Geneva Hamid Ali Rao in a statement to the conference pointed out this week that the threat of terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons is “real.’’ Without referring to Pakistan, he said, “The possibility of terrorists and extremist groups gaining access to nuclear materials is real and could have catastrophic consequences,’’ he said in his statement. Focus on safety of Pak’s N-installation, 2 Apr 2010, 0559 hrs IST, Nirmala Ganapathy,ET Bureau

Paradoxically Bharat has itself been talking to the Taliban. It is but obvious that the Taliban will be in power in Kabul. All forces in the region have accepted that fact as fail accompli. If Delhi over reaches, and raises the specter of the bad Taliban, or rake the Taliban over coals, it further deprecates its already horrid relations with the new and future rulers of Kabul. Bharat by making the Taliban as the bad boys, Delhi is in fact antagonizing a majority of the Pakhtuns. Delhi’s grandstanding at the Nuclear summit will further endanger its waning influence in West Asia.

India since 2002 has sponsored a resolution at the UNGA calling for measures to prevent terrorists from gaining access to Weapons of Mass Destruction. The resolution is adopted by consensus in the UNGA every year.

“We have in that resolution sought to highlight these dangers and to stress the need for national and international cooperative measures to prevent terrorists from gaining access to nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction,’’ Mr Rao added.

For India the concerns extend to the dangers of clandestine proliferation in the neighbourhood. The AQ Khan network has continued to pose a very real threat. It’s not just India but also the US which has concerns about the network, which supplied nuclear knowhow to Iran and Libya, being resurrected at any point. Officials in the past have pointed out that India’s security has been impacted by this clandestine proliferation. Focus on safety of Pak’s N-installation, 2 Apr 2010, 0559 hrs IST, Nirmala Ganapathy,ET Bureau

Delhi, by bringing up these apocryphal and supposititious is not only displaying its historical belligerence towards its Western neighbor, it is also jeopardizing its relationship with Iran. Bharat’s negative vote against Iran at the IAEA–cost Delhi a $6 billion LNG deal with Iran–which Tehran promptly cancelled after Bharat’s IAEA vote. Repeated attempts to resurrect that deal have come to naught. The more vociferously Delhi screams about Nuclear proliferation, the more it angers Tehran. Already Delhi-Tehran relationship is at a dangerous nadir. Tehran recently rebuffed the Bharati Foreign Ministers attempt to visit Tehran–and the Bharati Premiers trip to Iran has been put off. After the repeated snubs, Bharat has now once again tried to seduce Tehran by opening up discussion on the Iran-Pakistan pipeline.

The focus at the security summit — which is the brainchild of US President Barack Obama — will anyway be on nuclear security which is an issue of global concern. Already a number of preparatory meetings have taken place. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who is India’s sherpa for the Nuclear Security Summit, has been taking part in the preparatory meeting and flagged Indian concerns on the issue of nuclear terrorism and proliferation. Focus on safety of Pak’s N-installation, 2 Apr 2010, 0559 hrs IST,Nirmala Ganapathy,ET Bureau

Bharat’s Catch-22 is that it is hell-bent on scoring points at Pakistan’s expense. The summit knows full well the traditional animosity between Bharat and Pakistan. Bharat may overplay its hand and really antagonize China and the USA. Washington while committed to Nuclear proliferation is more concerned about the further spread of Nuclear technology than berating Islamabad.

Bharat’s other dilemma is that any major criticism of Pakistan may impinge on China–creating serious problems for Delhi’s diplomatic corps.

An upcoming report by the Washington-based Project 2049 Institute identified China’s nuclear weapons storage site deep inside Shaanxi’s Qinling mountain range. The report, by Mark Stokes, a former U.S. defense attaché in Beijing, concluded that the storage center is perhaps one of the most secure nuclear weapons stockpile facilities in the world, the Defense News reported this month. Washington Post.

Pakistan’s biggest ally may not be attending the summit. Turkey, chagrined at the Armenian genocide resolution in Washington may or may not attend the summit. Turkey did not bother to invite Bharat to the regional conference on Afghanistan in Istanbul. President Gul in Islamabad did however support the Pakistani position on Kashmir–which must have raised hackles in Delhi.

“At the moment, I’m making the assessment with my advisors,” Erdoğan said when asked whether he would participate at the summit on nuclear security on April 13. Today’s Zaman.

There are more than three dozen countries at the summit. Bharat may not a block of countries that will support it in a wild goose chase against Islamabad.

Over 40 heads of states, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, will participate in the summit and discuss international initiatives to keep nuclear weapons out of the reach of terrorists. A White House statement had said that the aim of the summit is to take steps “to secure vulnerable materials, combat nuclear smuggling and deter, detect, and disrupt attempts at nuclear terrorism.

A communiqué that will pledge efforts to get the highest level of nuclear security is also expected at the end of the summit. In a speech in Prague last year, President Obama had chalked out his disarmament agenda and said that nuclear terrorism is the most immediate threat to global security. Focus on safety of Pak’s N-installation, 2 Apr 2010, 0559 hrs IST,Nirmala Ganapathy,ET Bureau

Bharat would be well advised to play it cool at the summit. It is at the bottom end of the totem pole. Neither the US, nor the EU, nor China is any mood to place any further restrictions on Pakistan. Bharat has already tarnished its relationship with Russia by toeing the American line too much. Bharat’s biggest ally–Israel has not been invited to the summit.

http://pakistanledger.com/2010/04/02...uclear-summit/

[Neo]

'China to back Pakistan stance on civil nuclear deal'

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani reiterated his government’s commitment to take all parliamentary parties into confidence on all national policies particularly defence, Kashmir and nuclear policies.

In his opening statement while chairing a special meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security at the Parliament House Wednesday afternoon, the Prime Minister said Pakistan being a nuclear state was cognizant of its responsibilities.

Pakistan has developed effective nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation measures underpinned by extensive legislative, regulatory and administrative framework, he added.

He further said that as chairman of the National Command Authority, his government fully accepts the responsibility of nuclear security.

The Prime Minister said nuclear power generation offers viable solutions for energy security and addressing the challenge of climate change.

He said that China would support Pakistan demand that the United States also make a civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan like it had done with India.

He mentioned Pakistan had more than 35 years experience of operating nuclear power plants successfully. He further said highly trained manpower and a well established foolproof safety and security culture fully qualifies Pakistan for equal participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level which would help in addressing immediate energy problems and would bring greater stability as well.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan is a democratic, progressive and peaceful country.

He added that the socio-economic development hinges on the ability to meet rapidly expanding energy requirements.

He stressed, “we need to explore all options to ensure a reliable energy mix and civil nuclear power generation is therefore an essential part of our national energy security strategy.”

The Prime Minister declared that the government considers nuclear safety, security and safeguards as vehicles for facilitating international civil nuclear cooperation.

He observed that the objectives of nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security can only be served and promoted through a non-discriminatory paradigm for international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Earlier Lt. General (Rtd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, DG SPD briefed the Parliamentary Committee on Pakistan’s nuclear programme and security of nuclear assets.

He mentioned that Pakistan has one of the best systems of safety and security of nuclear assets and technology both on the defence and civilian side.

Masood Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador in China who participated in the preliminary deliberations of the forthcoming Nuclear Summit in Washington, apprised the Parliamentary Committee on the objectives of the Summit and the preparations made by Pakistan to be able to positively contribute in the deliberations of the Summit.

The USA, he mentioned, has already made the objectives public which are a manifestation of President Barack Obama’s three point strategy for non-proliferation of nuclear technology in the interest of global security.

The representatives of all the political parties in the Parliament Committee on National Defence applauded the gesture of the Prime Minister for taking them into confidence prior to his participation in an important International Summit.

They assured him complete support and expressed confidence that he would be able to put across Pakistan’s viewpoint forcefully being a democratically elected Prime Minister enjoying complete backing of the entire nation.

The members of the Committee also appreciated the preparations made by the Pakistani side for the Summit. The members also gave suggestions on various aspects of the subject of the Summit which were aptly accommodated.

The special meeting was also attended by General Tariq Majid, Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Committee and the Foreign Secretary.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=102383

[Neo]

Pakistan, China to adopt joint strategy at US nuclear summit

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani chaired a meeting of the parliamentary committee on national security to finalize a strategy ahead of Pakistan’s participation at the nuclear non-proliferation summit in Washington.

Director General Strategic Plans Division Khalid Qadwai and Islamabad ambassador to Beijing Masood Khan briefed the committee about the national security.

According to source, Masood told the committee that Pakistan and China would attend the conference with a joint strategy.

He said that China would support Pakistan demand that the United States also make a civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan like it had done with India.

The meeting was also attended by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid, Strategic Plans Division DG Khalid Qadwai, Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Ishaq Dar, Asfandyar Wali Khan, Hyder Abbas Rizvi, Shahid Bugti and others.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=102377

[Neo]

China to back Pak demand for civil nuclear deal at US summit

* Gilani says civil nuclear power generation essential part of energy strategy
* Parliamentary parties to be taken into confidence over national policies

ISLAMABAD: China will back Pakistan at an upcoming nuclear summit in Washington over a number of issues, including Islamabad’s case for a civil-nuclear deal with the US and its efforts to improve nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes, according to sources privy to a special meeting the parliamentary committee on national security.

The committee was assured on Wednesday that Pakistan would actively pursue its case for a civil-nuclear deal with the US during Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s upcoming visit to the US.

The sources said the Pakistani ambassador to China – who participated in preliminary deliberations on the nuclear summit in Washington – briefed the committee on the objectives of the summit and Pakistan’s preparations to positively contribute to the deliberations.

Meanwhile, a press statement after the meetings said Gilani reiterated his government’s commitment to take all parliamentary parties into confidence over all national policies, particularly those on defence, Kashmir and the country’s nuclear programme.

Presiding over the special meeting, the prime minister said Pakistan was aware of its responsibilities as a nuclear state. He said Pakistan had taken effective steps for nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation through “extensive legislative and a regulatory and administrative framework”.

In the capacity of the National Command Authority chairman, Gilani said his government fully accepted the responsibility of nuclear security. He said nuclear power generation offered viable solutions for energy security and addressing the challenge of climate change.

He highlighted that Pakistan had more than 35 years of experience in operating nuclear power plants successfully. He said highly trained manpower and “a well-established foolproof safety-and-security culture fully qualify Pakistan for equal participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level, which could help address immediate energy problems and bring greater stability”.

The prime minister said Pakistan was a democratic, progressive and peaceful country. He said socio-economic development hinged on the ability to meet rapidly expanding energy requirements. “We need to explore all options to ensure a reliable energy mix, and civil nuclear power generation is, therefore, an essential part of our national energy security strategy.”

He said the government considered nuclear safety, security and safeguards “vehicles [with the potential] to facilitate international civil nuclear cooperation”.

Gilani said the objectives of nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security could only be served and promoted through a non-discriminatory paradigm for international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Earlier, Lt Gen (r) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, director general of the Strategic Plans Directorate, briefed the parliamentary committee on Pakistan’s nuclear programme and security of nuclear assets. He said Pakistan had “one of the best systems of safety and security” for nuclear assets and technology.

Representatives of all political parties in the parliament committee on national defence praised the prime minister for taking them into confidence ahead of his participation in the important international summit in Washington. They assured him their parties’ complete support, and expressed confidence that he would successfully put across Pakistan’s viewpoint.

The members of the committee also praised the preparations made by Pakistani representatives for the summit. They made proposals on various aspects of the summit, “which were aptly accommodated”, according to the official statement. The special meeting was also attended by General Tariq Majid, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the foreign secretary.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-4-2010_pg1_10

[Neo]

India could gain from US-Pakistan nuke deal

W Pal Sidhu
Thu, Apr 8 2010

As India is not in a position to block such a deal, there is not only virtue but also several advantages for New Delhi to let Pakistan eat its uranium cake; it is another matter whether Islamabad will be able to digest this rich offering

Despite all the rhetoric of a new strategic partnership between Islamabad and Washington the much-coveted prize of a civilian nuclear deal was politely, but firmly, denied to the visiting high-level Pakistani delegation by the US.

Although the Pakistani establishment claimed they were satisfied with the negotiations, including on the nuclear deal, there was clear disappointment, especially as the US-Pakistan no-deal was in stark contrast to the announcement just days earlier that New Delhi and Washington had ironed out the final details of the India-US civilian nuclear deal which would allow India to reprocess nuclear material that has been used in its reactors.

Also Read W Pal Sidhu’s earlier columns

Although this might sound like a significant advantage to India, it is in fact New Delhi which is catching-up. More importantly, if we were to step back for a moment and look at the issue dispassionately, a similar deal between Pakistan and the US may not be such a bad idea at all from India’s strategic point of view.

It is worth remembering that Pakistan and the US had a tacit nuclear deal in the 1980s, which actually enabled Islamabad to develop its nuclear weapons under the watchful eyes of their American interlocutors who were then dependent on the military rulers in Pakistan to conduct their first war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. For several years from 1985 onwards the US president, no less, certified that Pakistan had not crossed the nuclear threshold even though all evidence pointed to the contrary.

It was only in 1990 when the Soviet Union had been pushed out of Afghanistan and Pakistan was no longer needed as a logistics base and launch-pad that President George H. W. Bush withheld the certification, thus providing a de-facto declaration of Islamabad’s nuclear weapon status. No other country, not even the closest allies of Washington, let alone India, has been so privileged.

Twenty-five years later events have come a full-circle.

As Washington struggles in its second war in Afghanistan to counter the Taliban-Al-Qaeda combine, it remains dependent on the Pakistani military for its mission. Islamabad’s price for its cooperation is to seek a strategic partnership with a new civilian nuclear deal as the icing on top of this shaky cake.

Despite India’s innate opposition to a US-Pakistan deal it might actually be in New Delhi’s advantage not to use its energies to block such a deal but to ensure that it is carefully crafted so as to provide a number of strategic benefits.

First, a civilian nuclear deal would have to meet the fundamental criteria of ensuring that the nuclear establishment is under the control of the elected civilian leadership, as is the case in India. This is far from true in Pakistan where the military remains the principal actor not only in the nuclear field but also in almost every aspect of governance of the state.

The requirement of civilian control is clearly laid down in Washington’s Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (EPPA) of 2009, also known as the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill, and it should come as no surprise that the earliest opposition to the US-Pakistan civilian nuclear deal has come from Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar. Although the EPPA has its own drawbacks (see Borderline, Throwing good money after a bad cause, 3 November 2009) any deal that upholds its basic principle of strengthening the civilian leadership over nuclear matters and the military is advantageous to India.

The India-US nuclear deal was five years in the making and almost brought down an elected government in the process. It barely came to fruition despite the intense political capital that the top Indian and US leadership invested in the process. It is unlikely that the fractious Pakistani polity, with the constant jostling for power between the elected civilian leadership and the restless military, will remain united long enough to see the deal through. Similarly, there is no indication that the top US leadership is willing to invest as heavily in a deal with Pakistan, especially given the unresolved proliferation issues centered on A.Q. Khan. Thus, a civilian nuclear deal has the potential of fermenting additional political instability in Pakistan.

Second, as was the case with the India-US civilian nuclear deal, an elaborate separation plan for the civilian and military assets will have to be implemented. This was a difficult undertaking for India even though the bulk of its nuclear assets are civilian; it will be a near impossible task for Pakistan as most of its nuclear assets are geared towards the military programme. Indeed, unless Pakistan builds additional civilian nuclear assets accepting a separation plan would virtually cap its nuclear weapons programme; another advantage for India.

Third, by entering into such an agreement Washington would also be underwriting Pakistan’s nuclear non-proliferation commitment. Holding Islamabad responsible for its behaviour would benefit not only India but also the global cause of non-proliferation.

Finally, although a US-Pakistan civilian nuclear deal will certainly dent India’s quest for exceptionalism, it would also alleviate India’s isolation in the global nuclear arena. No longer will India be the odd-man out and the sole target of criticism by non-nuclear weapon states within and outside the non-aligned movement; Islamabad would also have to share the blame for upsetting the nuclear order.

As India is not in a position to block such a deal, there is not only virtue but also several advantages for New Delhi to let Pakistan eat its uranium cake; it is another matter whether Islamabad will be able to digest this rich offering.

W. Pal Sidhu is vice-president of programmes at the EastWest Institute, New York. He writes on strategic affairs every fortnight.

http://www.livemint.com/2010/04/0823...*****.html?h=B

[Neo]

Preparing for nuclear summit

EDITORIAL (April 10 2010): On Wednesday, Prime Minister Gilani called a special meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. The Foreign Secretary and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee attended the meeting at special invitation. D.G. Strategic Plans Division and Pakistan's ambassador to China briefed the committee. The meeting was called ahead of the International Summit on Nuclear Security convened by President Obama in Washington, on April 12 and 13.

The summit is being attended by over forty heads of state and governments. In his opening statement, Gilani reiterated his government's commitment to take all parliamentary parties into confidence on national policies, particularly defence, foreign affairs, Kashmir and nuclear policy.

Washington has long been concerned over terrorist groups acquiring nuclear weapons, or a crude nuclear device, thus endangering the lives of thousands of American citizens. The concern is shared by a number of other states also, on account of the global reach of some of the most ruthless terrorist groups that have wreaked havoc in a number of countries.

Their activities have led to the consensus that there is a need to make joint efforts to root them out. So far, the terrorists have depended on conventional means to create mayhem, including the use of suicide jackets, filled with easily available explosives, made more devastating by ball bearings, sharp metal pieces and even bullets. They have also devised highly lethal IEDs from cheap materials.

There is a concern that if the terrorists could lay hands on nuclear weapons, or even a dirty bomb, the consequences would be horrendous. This indicates why China, which has of late reacted strongly to some of the US policies in East Asia, has also agreed to attend the summit. India, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Malaysia, Germany, Armenia and South Africa are among the participants.

Most of the leaders represent countries where the United States either has major strategic interests or they have suffered from terrorist attacks. The world leaders participating at the summit will be talking about a variety of nuclear security measures that each of them have taken within their own countries to prevent the theft or seizure of nuclear materials and prevent their transit or smuggling through their territories.

Washington hopes the summit will prepare the ground for greater international co-operation, while it would devise effective measures for nuclear safety and foolproof arrangements to deny terrorists access to weapons of mass destruction. Those attending the meeting are likely to discuss the measures that need to be urgently taken. The consensus view is expected to be reflected in the joint statement, which is likely to be issued at the end of the summit.

Despite reiteration by Pakistan that its nuclear weapons are fully secured, Washington had, in the past, continued to cast doubts about the claim. With the civilian government in the driving seat now, a change has gradually taken place, which is reflected in a recent statement by President Obama. Pakistan is also expected to call on the US to enter into an agreement with Pakistan to facilitate access to nuclear technology and nuclear materials, similar to the pact signed with India.

The demand was spurned in the past on grounds of 'different history'. As Gilani has said, Pakistan needs the technology to fulfil its energy needs. Pakistan rightly qualifies for civil nuclear co-operation as it has more than 35 years' experience of operating nuclear power plants successfully. Pakistan also possesses a highly trained manpower and a foolproof safety and security culture. Prime Minister Gilani would be leaving for the US on Saturday to attend the summit.

This is for the first time that a government leader has undertaken a structured exercise to seek inputs from various stakeholders before proceeding for talks in Washington. There were complaints, last month, when the opposition was not taken on board before holding the strategic dialogue with the US. As the parliamentary committee is a multi-partisan body, its support would strengthen the hands of Gilani during the parleys.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?i...term=&supDate=

[Neo]

India, Pakistan have upset balance of nuclear deterrence: US

PTI, Apr 10, 2010

WASHINGTON: The manner in which India and Pakistan have pursued atomic weapons has "upset the balance of nuclear deterrence", secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Saturday said, asserting the US is working hard with both countries to try to limit their number of nuclear stockpiles.

"There are three pillars to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. One is disarmament, one is non-proliferation, and one is the peaceful use of nuclear weapons, the peaceful use of nuclear energy for civil nuclear purposes," Clinton said in her speech on nuclear non-proliferation at the University of Louisville.

"So the United States will continue to demonstrate its willingness, in concert with Russia, because we have so many more weapons than any of the other countries -- you know, by a very, very big margin," she said in her speech on 'No Greater Danger: Protecting our nation and allies from nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation', in Kentucky.

"Other countries that have pursued nuclear weapons -- like India and Pakistan, for example -- have done so in a way that has upset the balance of nuclear deterrence," Clinton said.

"And that's why we're working with both countries very hard to try to make sure that their nuclear stockpiles are, you know, well tended to, and that they participate with us in trying to limit the number of nuclear weapons. And both of them will be in Washington next week," she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would represent India at the Nuclear Security Summit next week convened by US President Barack Obama, which is being attended by more than 40 world leaders including Pakistani premier Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5780811.cms

[Selma Shirazi]

Originally Posted by Neo

India to raise Pakistani nuke facilities bogey at Nuclear Summit

April 2, 2010

Bharat (aka India) is chagrined that Pakistan has been invited to the Nuclear Summit–a clear recognition of Islamabad’s Nuclear status. Bharat did not want Pakistan at the summit. Now that the invitation has been sent and the Pakistani leadership is there, Delhi will give solid proof of “aman ki asha (its wish for peace) by disparaging Pakistan, and bringing up counterfeited, spurious and frivolous matters which it knows have no merit. The Bharati strategy is to berate Pakistan, bring up supposititious issues of safety and security and and the dangers.

How very typical! Doesn't it show the true colors of over beloved neighbor?

[Selma Shirazi]

Originally Posted by Neo

India, Pakistan have upset balance of nuclear deterrence: US

PTI, Apr 10, 2010

"Other countries that have pursued nuclear weapons -- like India and Pakistan, for example -- have done so in a way that has upset the balance of nuclear deterrence," Clinton said.

"And that's why we're working with both countries very hard to try to make sure that their nuclear stockpiles are, you know, well tended to, and that they participate with us in trying to limit the number of nuclear weapons. And both of them will be in Washington next week," she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would represent India at the Nuclear Security Summit next week convened by US President Barack Obama, which is being attended by more than 40 world leaders including Pakistani premier Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5780811.cms

Isn't it a bit too late? What was USA thinking when they pushed for the 123 agreement?

[Neo]

Handshakes that spoke louder than words

Wednesday, 14 Apr, 2010

WASHINGTON: Two brief encounters and apparently warm handshakes between the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers seemed to have had a greater impact on the media than all the talks between 47 world leaders attending the two-day nuclear summit in the US capital.

From America’s Wall Street Journal to India’s The Hindu and the Pakistani television channels, all jumped with excitement as the two leaders were seen shaking hands with a leader-style smile.

And the third-power or Teesri Shakti — as US President Barack Obama was called by an Indian journalist — who caused them to extend their hands to each other also had a broad smile on his face as this non-event dominated television screens across the world.

This was “the meeting of hands which everyone seemed to be waiting for,” commented The Hindu as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh reached out to each other.

The two prime ministers met at the Walter E. Washington convention centre in downtown Washington, venue of the Nuclear Security Summit.

The first gesture came at President Obama’s dinner on Monday when Prime Minister Gilani strode up to Dr Singh and the two men greeted each other warmly. They did the same on Tuesday morning.

The first ‘encounter’ lasted only two minutes and the second, five; although symbolically they had more significance than the long-winded speeches heard at such international conferences.

Imran Gardezi, a spokesman for the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, said the two exchanged pleasantries and expressed their desires to reduce tensions between the two neighbours.

Vishnu Prakash, spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said Dr Singh and Mr Gilani only “exchanged pleasantries”.

The Indians have been reluctant to hold formal talks with Pakistan in Washington, saying that it would send wrong signals to the audience in India.

They, however, seem more interested in a formal meeting between the two leaders in Bhutan later this month on the sidelines of a Saarc summit.The Pakistanis, on the other hand, are ready for talks at any venue. Prime Minister Gilani said earlier that “India-Pakistan relations should not be held hostage to one unfortunate incident”, the Mumbai terror attacks.

The handshake on Monday was the first encounter between the two leaders since their July 2009 interaction on the sidelines of a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement at Sharm el-Shaikh in Egypt.

Indian officials said the meeting in Bhutan would have more substance than Monday’s handshake, “warm and effusive though it appears to have been”.

Those present at Washington’s Convention Centre noted that on Monday evening, Prime Minister Gilani arrived 20 minutes before Mr Singh.

On seeing Mr Singh, he scooted over, greeted him with a firm handshake and then they spoke with each other for two minutes.

On Tuesday, the Indian prime minister took the lead in greeting Mr Gilani and the conversation continued for five minutes.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/...than-words-440