CTBT: team on way to USA
From Shubhabrata Bhattacharya
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — Two Joint Secretaries of the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Alok Prasad, who looks after the America’s desk and Mr Rakesh Sood (Disarmament and Strategic Issues Division) are on their way to Washington, to meet their counterparts, Mr Bob Einhorn, Assistant Secretary of State for non-Proliferation and Mr Mathew Daley, Adviser (South Asia).

The two-day talks, on Tuesday and Wednesday, will set the agenda for the 10th round of talks, in London next month, between External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Stroke Talbott. These talks, which may perhaps be the last between the two sides prior to the US President, Mr Bill Clinton’s proposed visit to India in March, 2000, are considered crucial.

According to available indications, President Clinton is likely to snub Islamabad’s military junta by omitting Pakistan from his itinerary. Hence efforts are on from the Indian side to make the best of this visit - signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) may be one such step. The talks in Washington this week and the London meeting in January thus assume significance.

Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee met a delegation led by Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi on Friday in a bid to evolve a consensus on the CTBT issue. As reported by The Tribune earlier, the Congress delegation preferred to listen rather than talk. They wanted to be informed about the details of Jaswant-Talbott talks held so far. The PM is meeting Left parties on Monday.

Significantly after Friday’s meeting the task of briefing the media on behalf of both sides was left to Mr Jaswant Singh, who indicated that the Congress leaders were likely to consult each other and if necessary, seek another meeting. The underlying spirit of Mr Jaswant Singh’s briefing reflected the evolution of a consensus -though it has not been spelt out that way so far.

The Congress Deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Mr Madhavrao Scindia told the media on Saturday that his party had not formulated its stand yet. True. However, from available indications, the Congress is not averse to India signing the CTBT, only it would not like the role of Congress Prime Ministers in evolving India’s nuclear policy to be pushed under the carpet. Nor would the Congress like the impression to go round that the decision on CTBT was taken under “pressure from Washington”.

Thus, Washington has to take some more steps apart from the one taken on last Friday morning — of removing India’s strategic and scientific establishments from a “dual use” blacklist for dealings with American establishments and firms.

The effect of U.S. arm-twisting in the post Pokhran-II era, in the form of sanctions and world Bank — related restrictions have been negligible so far, but it may start hurting in the coming months. Hence while India is trying to evolve a consensus at home, Washington too has to play a positive role.

With the American Senate having refused to ratify the CTBT, India can now work out its timeframe for a three-stage approach:-

1. Signing of the CTBT by India (This could precede President Clinton’s March visit, if Washington plays ball;
2. Unilke in the USA, the Government of the day is empowered to sign any international treaty or covenant and thus does not need a parliamentary approval. (the bid to evolve a national consensus has begun, from available indications, in the right earnest); and
3. Depositing the Instrument of Ratification (This is the most important Stage — merely signing the CTBT is not enough).

From available indications, New Delhi no longer considers the CTBT as “discriminatory”.