This one is hysterical....Bush hopes 2002 is a year of peace; a few days ago he declared 2002 would be a year of war.....and then there's the line....We're not joking about this.
By Mike Allen and Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, December 29, 2001; Page A01
CRAWFORD, Tex., Dec. 28 -- President Bush stepped into the growing conflict between India and Pakistan today, urging India's leaders to credit Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for acting "forcefully" against terrorism and to back away from moves that could lead to war.
After a streak of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, military deployments and fervid rhetoric between the longtime rivals, the two sides need "to stop the escalation of force" and find a path toward calm, Bush said. He reported that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell again urged restraint in a round of telephone diplomacy today.
Administration officials said Bush was likely to intervene personally by placing calls soon to Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"We fear an Indian attack. We're not joking about this," an administration official said in Washington. Since a Dec. 13 assault by Islamic extremists on India's Parliament, he added, the Indian leadership has been "under tremendous pressure to act" against Pakistan.
Bush's comments reflect the administration's belief that Musharraf has taken enough good-faith actions against Pakistani extremist groups to win maneuvering room from India. U.S. officials have said Musharraf must do more, but they think he needs time.
"I'm pleased to note that President Musharraf has announced the arrest of 50 extreme terrorists -- extremists or terrorists," Bush said in a stroke of denim diplomacy during his Texas ranch holiday. "I hope India takes note of that, that the president is responding forcefully and actively to bring those who would harm others to justice."
[In Pakistan, officials had no comment on Bush's remark, and there was no independent confirmation of arrests, special correspondent Kamran Khan reported from Karachi.]
Bush was accompanied by Gen. Tommy R. Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command and overseer of the military campaign in Afghanistan. Just back from a visit to that country, Franks briefed the president on the search for Osama bin Laden and the effort to dismantle his terrorist network.
"I hope 2002 is a year of peace," Bush said afterward, "but I am also realistic."
The administration, with Powell taking the lead, has played an increasing role as intermediary between India and Pakistan in the two weeks since five terrorists shot their way into New Delhi's Parliament complex. Indeed, many diplomats and analysts believe that one goal of India's saber-rattling response to the assault has been to get the United States, Britain and other countries to lean on Musharraf.
U.S. authorities are motivated not only by the rising tension between two countries that have fought three wars, but also by concern that a military buildup along the India-Pakistan border could cause Musharraf to pull forces from the search for bin Laden and al Qaeda fighters fleeing Afghanistan.
U.S. forces have been using Pakistan as a staging area for the battle against the Taliban and al Qaeda, claiming about one-third of the country's airspace for military operations and the manhunt along the Afghan border.
In phone calls today, Powell counseled restraint to Musharraf and Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh. Powell is urging Indian leaders to meet with their Pakistani counterparts at a South Asian conference in Kathmandu next week but has received no commitment, a U.S. official said.
Seeking credibility with both sides, Powell has tailored his message to his audience. He told the Indians that U.S. authorities understand the pain caused by the Dec. 13 assault and the need to strike back against the Pakistani groups believed responsible, Lashkar-i-Taiba (Army of the Pious) and Jaish-i-Muhammad (Soldiers of Muhammad). He declared both groups foreign terrorist organizations last week, subjecting them to financial sanctions and travel restrictions.
But Powell also has advised India that a military attack on Pakistan would be counterproductive. He told Singh that retaliation would merely reward the terrorists and risk a series of reprisals that could spin out of control.
"To think you can manage a war is very dangerous," a U.S. official said.
Powell and other administration officials have praised Musharraf for cracking down on Jaish-i-Muhammad. At the same time, they have warned that a stronger effort is needed against the older and more established Lashkar-i-Taiba if India is to be appeased and tensions are to subside.
Indeed, even as Bush publicly applauded Musharraf, Powell was pressing the Pakistani leader in private to take further steps -- and quickly -- against the extremists waging a violent campaign against Indian rule in the disputed territory of Kashmir. The critical short-term goal, the Americans have told their counterparts in Pakistan, is to avoid war against a motivated, well-armed Indian army that has been massing along the border.
Slevin reported from Washington. |
