Straw rejects Pakistan's suggestion on international observers along LoC (Kashmir)

rediff.com ^ | May 28 2002 | K J M Varma in Islamabad

[AM2000]

Britain on Tuesday rejected Pakistan's suggestion to deploy international observers along the Line of Control to monitor India's charge of cross-border terrorism and asked Islamabad to strictly implement the United Nations resolution on terrorism.

"Kashmir is a bilateral dispute of long-standing and sadly, a cause of considerable bitterness between India and Pakistan," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Tuesday after talks with President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad.

However, this did not mean that the international community had no responsibility to secure a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue, he told reporters.

Straw declined to make a distinction between freedom fighters and terrorists as defined by Pakistan saying one country's freedom fighters were terrorists for the rest of the world.

That is how the Irish Republic Army (IRA) has tried to justify the violence to force a settlement in Northern Ireland, Straw said.

On Musharraf's claim that no infiltration was taking place into Kashmir, Straw said, "The test of assurances down the ages is how they work out on the ground."

"I think the Pakistani president is under no doubt about the expectations of the international community for clear action to be taken in addition to that which has already been taken to clamp down on cross-border terrorism," Straw said.

Describing his discussions with Musharraf as 'constructive and forthright', Straw, who leaves for India on Tuesday night, said he carried no specific message for the Indian leaders.

"I am not a messenger between India and Pakistan," he said adding his visit was primarily aimed at apprising himself of the situation and conveying the stand of the international community to the leadership of the two countries.

There are 'clear limits' to what the international community could do 'since decisions about war and peace rest with the parties to the dispute', he said.

[Dog Gone]

Jack Straw is basically an idiot, and he's more likely to cause a war than prevent one.

But I really don't see why international monitors should be rejected outright. I know India doesn't want them on their side of the LoC because they don't want Kashmir to become an international issue.

I don't agree with that position, but I do understand why they take it.

But international monitors on the Pakistani side of the line might give some assurance to India that infiltrations have stopped (or are continuing, for that matter). Why reject the idea?

[swarthyguy]

Looks like one part of Mushie's strategy hasn't worked yet.

The internationalisation of the conflict; rejection of additional UN personnel in Kashmir by Jack Straw. After all, the Indians just defused a 40KG!! RDX bomb along a road in Kashmir, so its obvious to all but the blind that terrorism attempts are continuing. That there hasn't been any terroris is due to the security services defusing explosives or killing jihadis.

Maybe this time, OldMush has overreached and will cause even the myopic, islamophile, slavishly saudi state dept to realise its public bleatings about our 'brave ally' Musharraf are believed by no-one except its own appeasers. .

[Free the USA]

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The India-Pakistani Conflict... some background information-

[mikeIII]

Looks like the Paks are begining to feel the heat. I suspect over the next few days Mushy will be hearing stronger words of condemnation. He is no different than Arafat who says one thing in English and another in Arabic.