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AGENCIES
On board PM's special aircraft, Oct 1: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today kept open the option of sending back to President K R Narayanan the Cabinet's decision recommending that the Bihar Assembly be kept in suspended animation, saying he can make no commitment on this till he consulted his colleagues and other leaders.
Justifying the Cabinet decision, he told reporters accompanying him on his return from a nine-day visit to New York and Paris: ``The Cabinet was right in recommending this. The President has not accepted it. We have accepted the President's advice.''
He stuck to what he had earlier stated that ``mafia raj'' was prevailing in Bihar and denied that he had undertaken the visit to divert public attention from pressing domestic issues, including the Bihar imbroglio.
``My visit was in no manner aimed at diverting attention. After the Pokhran nuclear tests, it was essential for India to explain its position to the world,'' he said in response to a question.
He described his parleyswith President Chirac and other French leaders ``positive'' and ``fruitful'', adding that France had ``recognised India as a nuclear weapon state'' and offered assistance in the field of defence.
He made it clear that India's decision on signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will depend on the outcome of the talks New Delhi is having with key interlocutors. ``Certain points are yet to be cleared,'' he said but did not elaborate.
Indicating that there were several hurdles in the way of the CTBT coming into operation, he said it was difficult to say even what stand the United States Senate, which has strong reservations, would take on the issue in the coming months.
On the transfer of nuclear technology too, there was a sharp divergence of opinion among the key countries, he said, but denied that New Delhi was indulging in any bargaining.
India, he said, was not, as reports suggest, pressing for lifting of sanctions imposed against it. ``We can withstand the fallout of sanctions. But ifsanctions continue, how can there be a normal atmosphere (for successful completion of talks with key interlocutors)?'' he asked.
He said India looked forward to next month's resumption of the stalled foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan on outstanding bilateral issues, including peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir. ``A second round will be held in India later,'' he said, adding later, ``A new phase has begun in our relations with Pakistan.''
In reply to a question, he said there was no specific mention of the dangers of atomic weapons during his parleys with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He said almost all countries had welcomed the decision of India and Pakistan to reopen the official-level dialogue to resolve outstanding problems between the two sides. As a result, Pakistan's attempt to internationalise the Jammu and Kashmir issue at the recent UN session did not succeed, he said.
Vajpayee said his trip to the UN was not undertaken in normal circumstances as the entire worldwas watching with keen interest what India had to say on CTBT in the aftermath of the nuclear explosions.
There is a marked difference in the opinion of several leading countries now than what it was in May when they were critical of the tests, the Prime Minister said, adding more and more countries and even public opinion-makers in the US are now accepting that India's genuine security concerns had led to the nuclear tests.
He said that except for the traditional five nuclear weapons states (P-5), most of the other countries had agreed that the Pokhran tests had brought back to centrestage the question of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
Stating that he was satisfied with the outcome of his visit to New York and Paris which he termed as ``positive'', the Prime Minister said people are now looking at India in a new light.
On his meeting with NRIs in New York, Vajpayee said it was impressed upon them that they could play a crucial role in moulding American opinion in favour of India.
Therewas no immediate move to re-introduce resurgent bonds for NRIs, the Prime Minister added.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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