Steve Quayle News Alerts

July 29, 2002; Page A13
By Karen DeYoung, Washington Post Staff Writer

BANGKOK -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said at the end of a two-day trip to South Asia that efforts to resolve the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir were at "a plateau," and that he did not expect significant progress between the two countries until after elections in the disputed region this fall.

Powell, on his way to a Southeast Asian summit in Brunei, said he stopped briefly in India and Pakistan to "get a measure of where we are now" and to remind leaders there that the United States is involved in the region "for the long haul."

Powell also said the United States is "committed to staying engaged" with both countries on issues other than the Kashmir crisis, including cooperation on anti-terrorism efforts.

Although Powell said he made clear in both New Delhi and Islamabad that "what we want from them is to initiate a process of dialogue on Kashmir," there was still much to be achieved before direct talks could begin. He made his remarks to reporters traveling with him from Pakistan to Thailand, the third stop in his eight-nation tour.

Intensive diplomacy by the Bush administration was instrumental in defusing what Powell called a "close run" in May and June when more than 1 million Indian and Pakistani troops were mobilized along their shared border and both governments warned that war was near. Pakistan and India have fought two wars over Kashmir since independence 50 years ago, and the stakes have risen enormously because both countries now have nuclear weapons.

Powell's deputy, Richard L. Armitage, obtained a promise from Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, early last month that he would put a "permanent" end to infiltrations into Indian-administered Kashmir by militants based in camps in Pakistan. Armitage also obtained an agreement from India to begin demobilizing after telling the Indians that the United States guaranteed the pledge from Pakistan.

But most of the troops from both countries remain in place, and India has charged that militants have continued to launch cross-border attacks. India's foreign minister, Yashwant Sinha, said Saturday that conditions were not right for talks with Pakistan.

On Sunday, Musharraf said India's charges were "absolutely baseless." Powell said that in a private lunch Musharraf "was even more positive with respect to his commitment to ending all infiltration. In fact, he became, I wouldn't say agitated, [but] it became a forceful discussion back and forth."

While the United States has confirmed a reduction in infiltrations into Kashmir, "I'm not independently through my own sources able to substantiate everything the Pakistanis are saying to us," Powell said.

The United States and Pakistan share concerns about terrorism, and that has pushed the two countries closer after several years of estrangement. But U.S. overtures to Pakistan have risked undermining the American relationship with India.

Powell took pains to assure both countries that the administration considers them valuable friends and allies. Asked at a news conference in New Delhi on Saturday whether the United States was trying to impose mediation on the Kashmir dispute against India's wishes, Powell said: "What the U.S. is trying to do is play a role of a friend whose good offices can be used in order to bring people to the table so that they can deal with the problems that exist between them."

Powell said that upcoming elections in Kashmir for a local parliament were now key to determining the rate at which New Delhi and Islamabad can move toward dialogue.

Kashmir, a Himalayan region that is mostly Muslim, is effectively divided about 60-40 between the two, with the larger share under Indian control. India regards Kashmir as an integral part of its territory and says Pakistan's insistence that its status be resolved by a referendum is a ploy to gain control.

India also has accused Musharraf -- who is reluctant to antagonize politically powerful Islamic militants who consider all of Kashmir to be Pakistani territory -- of failing to act against infiltrators across the so-called Line of Control for domestic political reasons.

Charges of vote rigging have marred past Indian elections in Kashmir, and India has put limits on eligible parties and arrested pro-independence and pro-Pakistani leaders.

Powell urged the Indians not to hinder participation in elections scheduled for early fall. He suggested that international monitors observe the voting, an idea that officials from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on down firmly rejected in meetings with Powell.

Pakistan will also hold nationwide legislative elections, on Oct. 10, and the Indians, Powell told reporters Sunday, "may also be wondering whether it is wise to wait to see what kind of government" they will be dealing with in possible future talks.

Pakistani voters will also be asked to approve several constitutional changes that Musharraf's government has proposed, many of which would increase his power and ability to stay in office at the expense of an elected government.

Powell said Musharraf, an army general who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, has said the changes were free to be debated in Pakistan until the election.

The stop in South Asia was Powell's third visit to the region over the past 10 months. In addition to Armitage, who will return there in late August, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld also visited recently, and a steady stream of U.S. officials are expected through the fall as the administration continues efforts to keep the region calm.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14032-2002Jul28.html