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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42610)	5/19/2002 7:24:50 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

As the war clouds hover ominously over South Asia, American newspapers have asked the Bush administration to actively intervene in the scenario which could have disastrous consequences for the subcontinent in particular , and the international community in general. Issuing a caveat that any showdown between India and Pakistan, the two nuclear states, could result in the "absolutely unthinkable," the Baltimore Sun on Friday said "the challenge for the United States is how to get both countries to stand down." Noting that "India and Pakistan last met to discuss their dispute over Kashmir in July of last year - talks that ended badly with claims that Indian hard-liners had scuttled any formal agreement", the Baltimore Sun said "now both nations must be brought back into sustained negotiations, and this can only happen with more pressure on both sides from the United States." "The stakes cannot be overstated - for the US, which has short-term interests in rooting out terrorists in Pakistan, and even more critically for all nations interested in lowering the very real potential for the world's first nuclear war. Despite US efforts since Sept 11, that potential has been sharply rising," the Sun said. The Sun said "the first step out of this scenario is for the United States to pressure India into committing to a firm date by which it would begin a continuing dialogue with Pakistan over Kashmir. The United States then could take that to Pakistan's president, Gen Pervez Musharraf, and lean harder on him to stop supporting cross-border terrorism in Kashmir. General Musharraf promised to do that months ago, but so far his rhetoric has far outstripped his actions." Noting that "at the moment, the ball is in India's court. It could cross the border in limited attacks on militant camps, based on a possible miscalculation that Pakistan wouldn't respond. Then Pakistan might launch terrorist attacks in India's cities. Just a few more such moves, and warheads might be in play. In March, CIA Director George Tenet said the two countries were as close as they've come in 30 years to nuclear war. On Saturday quoting Indian government officials the New York Times said "Still raw from the recent attack India is girding itself for war" with Pakistan. The mood in the country is for some decisive action, and the government will have to respond," one official told the Times. "A war cannot be ruled out."