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Nuclear talks with India and Pak fail to raise US spirits

The United States appears to be unhappy about the progress of its three-month-old high-level dialogues with India and Pakistan on the nuclear issue, raising doubts about President Bill Clinton's proposed visit to the region in November.

Replying to a question, Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger said on Sunday, ''We have discussed with the Indians and the Pakistanis the steps that we think need to be taken to put them back more firmly on track in the non-proliferation regime. I think there has been some movement, but so far it has been insufficient.''

With regard to the presidential visit, he said, ''These trips need a certain lead time so that advance work can be done, security work can be done. I think we have to make a decision on this sometime in the next few weeks.''

Clinton himself is expected to take up the nuclear issue with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his bilateral meeting with him in New York on Monday. Both are there for the United Nations general assembly session.

There appears to be no possibility of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee meeting Clinton, as the latter is expected to leave New York by the time Vajpayee arrives on September 23.

However, the Indian PM would meet Sharief the same day.

Commenting on the proposed Clinton-Sharief meeting, Berger said, ''We had a close relationship with Pakistan for many years. We hope to work with Pakistan in the years to come. That has obviously been complicated, as is the case with India, by their nuclear tests.''

''Since that time," he continued, "there have been ongoing discussions between the Indians and the United States, between the Pakistanis and the United States, on measures and steps that the two governments could take."

He said these related to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. ''They related to how they develop and deploy their missiles. They relate to moratoriums on fissile material and direct dialogue on some of the fundamental issues that divide them, particularly Kashmir."

"The president will be talking to Sharief on each of these and hope that we can encourage him to take some steps in this direction, as we have with the Indians,'' he added.

UNI

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