May 12, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1424

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NEW DELHI, May 11: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee accused the United States on Sunday of using selective sanctions to crack the whip against countries suspected of having nuclear programmes.

Mr Vajpayee also warned against a slothful defence preparedness after the successful use of high technology weapons in Iraq.

“Some even continue to receive liberal economic assistance,” he said in what diplomats construed was a reference to Pakistan and China.

This, he said, was in contrast to India, which has “strictly exercised a self-imposed restraint” on transfer of nuclear, missile and dual-use technologies and material.

“We have denied ourselves many lucrative contracts and joint ventures. We have never received any recognition for this,” Mr Vajpayee told the country’s top defence scientists after presenting the annual Defence Research and Development Organization awards on National Technology Day, marking the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests.

Mr Vajpayee said every country needed to develop its weapons technology to survive in today’s global situation.

He lauded achievements like the development of the 700km range nuclear-capable Agni-I missile, supersonic Brahmos cruise missile and Light Combat Aircraft.

India must realize that these technological breakthroughs could be short-lived unless newer capacities are constantly developed in cutting-edge technologies, Mr Vajpayee warned.

“There can be no respite. War fighting technologies are constantly being upgraded. Recent military conflicts in our neighbourhood have graphically demonstrated this. They underline the importance of overwhelming technological superiority over an adversary,” he said.

DUAL-USE TECHNOLOGY: India is urging the United States to share dual-use technology and to help New Delhi develop its non-defence nuclear and space programmes, Anwar Iqbal adds from Washington.

India’s National Security Adviser Birjesh Mishra made the request during a series of meetings this week with President George W. Bush and other senior US officials in Washington.

During a three-day visit to the US, which ended on Saturday, he told US officials that India was seeking the dual-use technology to enhance scientific research and development and did not intend to use it for military purposes.

The Bush administration, however, was reluctant to offer the technology to India because it can be used for both civil and military purposes, including such equipment as super computers. The administration also said that its anti-proliferation laws prohibit transfer of technology to countries like India that have not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mr Mishra told reporters earlier this week he was going home “satisfied with the visit.”

ISI chief Lt-Gen Ehsanul Huq was also in Washington during Mishra’s visit.

Although the two officials were meeting the same people, the US administration made sure that their paths did not cross. While Gen Huq began his visit earlier this week with a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Mr Mishra had a 20-minute one-to-one with President Bush in the Oval Office.

Diplomatic sources told Dawn that during the meeting, Mr Mishra briefed President Bush on India’s views on the current diplomatic initiatives to reduce tensions in the region. Indian diplomats in Washington are interpreting his unscheduled meeting with Bush as a signifi-cant sign of the growing Indo-US relations. Mr Mishra told President Bush that India would move very carefully and that a summit meeting would be possible only after Pakistan halts cross-border attacks in Kashmir.

Mr Bush expressed his support for the peace process and encouraged India and Pakistan to resume bilateral talks, he said. Mr Mishra reminded the president he has a standing invitation to visit India, but Mr Bush said he would not be able to visit New Delhi in the near future.

Mr Mishra was escorted to the Oval Office for this unscheduled visit after his hour-long meeting with the US national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. In the past, Mr Bush used to “drop in” at meetings between Indian leaders and his senior aides but this time he invited Mr Mishra to his office.

He also met Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz.

He later told a group of Indian journalists that he would not allow India-Pakistan tensions to overshadow his meetings with American officials.

“I don’t want to mix up Indo-US relations with India-Pakistan relations because we disagree on some issues,” he said. “We have a different point of view and we want to expand on shared interests with the United States rather than harp on differences. We want to keep it separate.”

This change of approach, he indicated, was welcomed by US officials, who accused New Delhi of being obsessed with Pakistan. The main US interest in South Asia, he said, was to prevent a conflict between India and Pakistan and Washington asked India to exercise restraint.

“Their interest is legitimate. We say, we are exercising restraint but they must also tell Pakistan to do the same,” he said.

Diplomatic sources in Washington say that India wants the Bush administration to increase pressure on Pakistan to dismantle militant camps and stop them from crossing over into Indian-controlled Kashmir.