SALALAH (Oman), August 29: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today sought to allay apprehensions about India triggering a nuclear arms race in the region even ``accidentally'' but asserted that the ``war'' against cross-border terrorism inspired by Pakistan will continue.Referring to the scourge of sectarian fundamentalism and use of terror to project its point of view and power, Vajpayee said ``For nearly 20 years India has been a victim of such extremist violence, encouraged within its territory from across the border. The Indian people have paid a heavy price in terms of lives lost and property destroyed in combating this evil. Our war against terror will continue.''
Vajpayee's enunciation of India's nuclear doctrine in the context of the Pokhran II tests and a veiled attack on Islamabad's instigation of sectarian fundamentalism in India came during delegation-level talks he had with Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos-bin-al-Said shortly after he landed in this resort town on the first leg of his four-nation tour.
``We are, aware, Your Majesty, that under your enlightened leadership Oman too opposes extremism and terrorism and we are confident that you will raise your voice with us to condemn it wherever it manifests itself,'' the Prime Minister told his host. Vajpayee is accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Surjit Singh Barnala and Petroleum Minister Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy.
During the talks, progress of two joint venture projects -- Indo-Oman fertiliser project in Sur near Muscat and Bharat-Oman refinery project in Bina in Madhya Pradesh -- also came up for review.
Reiterating India's commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in the region, Vajpayee said, ``The two components of our nuclear doctrine, minimum deterrence and no-first use, indicate that just as our tests were not directed against any country, our deterrent posture is a defensive posture.''
``This should allay all apprehensions about a nuclear arms race, accidental use or escalation of any sort. India's longstanding commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament remains undiluted,'' he said. The Prime Minister said India believed that its security could be assured either through disarmament or legitimate security for all.
PM's one-stop feel-good shop
SALALAH (OMAN): There were less than a dozen ministers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport this morning to see off Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as he embarked on his first major foreign trip since taking over as Prime Minister. The turnout consisted entirely of BJP ministers. Prominent in the reception line were L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Madan Lal Khurana and Som Pal. Vajpayee and Advani exchanged greetings for several seconds, providing a photo opportunity for the lensmen, perhaps in the hope that it would silence reports of growing differences between the two men.
The last time Vajpayee visited Oman was in October last year when he was chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for External Affairs. Vajpayee had been struck then by the liberal and enlightened approach of the Sultan. When some of his subjects protested at the Indian community building a second Shiv temple because of fears of noise and congestion, the Sultan got around the protests by offering a plot twice the size elsewhere. Oman has a Ram temple in Darsail and a Shiv temple in Muscat, which is unusual in the Middle East were Hindus usually pray privately in their homes.OMAN was added to the PM's itinerary only ten days ago. The PM's main destination is Durban in South Africa, where the NAM meet is to take place. Oman's inclusion may have been to send the signal that despite some controversy, the $1.1 billion joint fertilizer project with Oman still stands.Today's talks between the Indian Prime Minister and the Sultan included discussions on both the India-Oman fertilizer project and the Bharat Oman refinery project. It was hoped that both schemes could be tied up by the end of the year after securing the necessary financing from a syndicated group.
India raised the issue of terrorism and extremism during discussions with Omani officials today. The Sultan has reason to be sympathetic. Two years ago on Omani National day, the Sultan himself referred to the problem of fundamentalism indirectly. Some arrests followed shortly afterwards.The links between the ruling family of Oman and India go back a long way. Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said's grandfather lived in Mumbai for 30 years and died in the city which is just across the Arabian Sea from Muscat. The Sultan's father and grandfather both studied at Mayo college in Ajmer. The present Sultan was sent to the Sandhurst military academy as a cadet. His western upbringing was perhaps instrumental in the Sultan's efforts to modernise Oman after a century of stagnation.
There are 3.36 lakh people of Indian origin in Oman, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the expatriate community and 20 per cent of the country's total population. Gujaratis came to Oman nearly 400 years ago.Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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