N-concessions for India to disturb regional security: Kasuri
BERLIN, April 25: Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri has stressed the need for a ‘package approach’ towards Pakistan and India on transfer of civilian nuclear technology and said that unilateral concessions for India would disturb the regional security balance in South Asia.
He stated this in a meeting with the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier here on Tuesday.
Mr Steinmeier said he understood Pakistan’s concerns, adding that Germany — a leading member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) — would look at the whole issue carefully when taking a decision in the 45-member NSG meeting, which would soon review the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Mr Kasuri extended an invitation to Mr Steinmeier to visit Pakistan, which was accepted by the German foreign minister.
Mr Steinmeier was briefed by Mr Kasuri on the current status of Pakistan-India relations, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues of mutual interest.
Mr Kasuri is currently on a visit to Germany and will meet the German defence minister on Wednesday.
He highlighted the importance of package approach towards Pakistan and India and said that the NSG should ensure that the regional strategic balance between the two countries remained undisturbed.
Referring to the US-India agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, he said that Pakistan was also energy deficient and it would be more prudent and pragmatic that genuine civil nuclear energy needs of both Pakistan and India were addressed by the NSG.
Highlighting Pakistan’s iron clad nuclear export controls, Mr Kasuri said that Pakistan had a strong and effective National Command Authority and impeccable arrangements were in place to ensure non-proliferation.
Pakistan, he said, had already proposed a Strategic Restraint Regime to India, which would help promote stability in the region and also address non-proliferation concerns.
Foreign Minister Steinmeier praised Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism and especially its role in maintaining peace on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Mr Kasuri said that confidence-building measures and ongoing composite dialogue had improved relations between the two countires. But, he said, no concrete progress had been made on the Kashmir issue, which rendered the whole peace process “very fragile”.
He informed his German counterpart that issues like Siachen and Sir Creek, which were easier to settle, had also not been solved, which led some to believe that the peace process was not yielding expected results.
He emphasised the need for addressing the Kashmir issue in a meaningful and substantive way and welcomed the remarks of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, stressing the need for a “pragmatic and practical” approach to the Kashmir issue.
Referring to the Iran nuclear issue, Mr Kasuri stressed the need for resolving it through dialogue and said the use of force could be counter-productive, and said might have catastrophic repercussions for global peace and security. — Agencies
