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Kissinger argues for progressive lifting of sanctions

Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger has called for ''progressive'' lifting of nuclear-related sanctions against India and Pakistan and these two countries, in turn, should undertake not to spread either nuclear or missile technology.

In an article in today's Washington Post, entitled 'India and Pakistan: after the explosions', he makes out a strong case for US Congress modifying the laws authorising such sanctions. Unless this was done, ''we will manoeuvre ourselves into a posture of permanent hostility to Pakistan, a long-standing ally, and India, the best-established democracy in the emerging world,'' he added.

He also wanted India and Pakistan to demonstrate a plausible effort to ease tensions between them. ''The argument that sanctions are needed to discourage other nations from developing nuclear programmes ignores the fact that most of the rogue nations are already under sanctions and that other potential nuclear powers are sufficiently distant in the future to make it unlikely they would base their decision on our current sanctions policy,'' he added.

Kissinger said these Congressionally mandated sanctions are threatening to place American policy into a straitjacket. Some 73 nations and over half the world's population are now subject to American sanctions. ''And, the fewest of our allies are following our lead,'' he said.

He feared that the United States wound up substantially isolated by its policy. ''We should find better models for our own policy,'' he said adding, ''sanctions rarely work.''

He wanted the Clinton administration to define relevant objectives capable of being carried out. These must first and foremost seek to contain further nuclear proliferation.

He said the American policy should move from treating India and Pakistan as the problem to incorporating them into the solution as partners in a non-proliferation regime and in easing political tension in South Asia.

In order to pursue a non-proliferation policy, Kissinger pointed out, ''We need not exaggerate the prospect that the tests increase the danger of nuclear war. A nuclear war between India and China is no more probable than is nuclear war between any two of the existing nuclear powers."

Neither was likely to risk nuclear war for the issues between them. The same considerations should apply as well between India and Pakistan -- though the historical tensions over Kashmir and other issues raised the danger of war, regardless of the type of weapon, he added.

He said India and Pakistan were testing because, living as they do in a tough neighbourhood, they could not risk their survival on exhortations coming from countries basing their own security on nuclear weapons.

''While Clinton has every reason to pursue the objectives he is seeking, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan are equally reasonable in pursuing their own nuclear objectives,'' Kissinger added.

UNI

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