Clinton's November visit off?

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (PTI) — The US President Bill Clinton’s visit to India and Pakistan, planned for mid-November, is almost certain to be postponed indefinitely due to "insufficient progress’’ made by the two countries to curb their nuclear programme, American officials and media reports said here today.

A senior official, who wished to remain anonymous, said Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger and other top aides discussed the South Asia nuclear situation at the White House last Friday and concluded that India and Pakistan "have a long way to go before we can recommend a trip (for Clinton).’’

A White House aide said the Clinton trip "is virtually certain to be put off.’’

Another official said the talks Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott had with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s special emissary Jaswant Singh and the Pakistani officials had so far been "going downhill.’’

"We have not really gotten to first base with them, and that has spilled over into the Pakistani dynamic,’’ the official said.

Another official remarked that everyday brought "radically different developments from both governments and hence there could be movement next week.’’

However, he expressed doubt that this would be sufficient to justify a Clinton visit to India and Pakistan.

A Washington Post report said Clinton’s trip was expected to be postponed because India and Pakistan had not made sufficient progress towards agreeing to curb their nuclear programme.

The New York Times quoted an official as saying that he understood that the visits had been "indefinitely postponed."

The White House is not expected to announce the final decision until after Clinton’s meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday when both will be in New York for the UN General Assembly’s annual session.

The American President is not scheduled to meet Mr Vajpayee who will arrive in New York after Clinton leaves the city.

The Times said there was growing consensus among Clinton’s advisers that not enough can be accomplished to make President’s trip to South Asia worthwhile.

The trip was put on hold after India and Pakistan tested nuclear devices in May and The Times quoted officials as saying the two have shown "little inclination to defuse the arms race.’’

Clinton had hoped to go to India, Pakistan and possibly Bangladesh, promotion of trade would have been high on the agenda as also "encouraging’’ an end to the nuclear arms competition.

American diplomats, The Times said, had met with Indian and Pakistan leaders to discuss the arms race but made little progress.