Author: Shobori Ganguli/Paris
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: September 29, 2001
Introduction: President Chirac tells
Jaswant Singh that whatever happens, 'France's priority will be to support
its relations with India'
In a world gone into unprecedented
diplomatic flux since September 11, India was assured by France on Friday
that "whatever changes or evolution takes place in the world situation,
France has a priority to support its relations with India."
External Affairs and Defence Minister
Jaswant Singh, on a whistle-stop tour of major world capitals to impress
upon the global community India's decades-old concerns over terrorism,
was given this assurance during his meeting with French President Jacques
Chirac.
The visit, said the MEA spokesperson
Nirupama Rao, also served to "sensitise" the French side about India's
concerns over terrorism including Pakistan's role in abetting terrorism
in the Jammu and Kashmir Valley.
Clearly, after the initial shock
and horror, when terror reached people's bedrooms across the world and
America declared war on terrorism, the time has now come to deliberate
the event in the cold light of day, a time to work towards a more permanent
solution to what raised its ugly head in New York and Washington on September
11 and may do so anywhere in the world again.
Mr Singh's visit to France comes
in this context when like-minded nations, particularly victims of terrorism,
are consulting each other to adopt an international framework that addresses
every form of terrorism, anywhere in the world, the "core issue" as they
put it.
Such attempts stem from the recognition
that although the United States has initiated the fight against terrorism
and will certainly lead it in the foreseeable future, it will need a number
of key partners in this fight. For this America will have to look beyond
the US-NATO alliance and carry global opinion along with it.
In this, sources feel, the new world
order may witness concentric groups of different countries with different
contributions emerging in a series of coalitions and not just one coalition
against terrorism. Such coalitions would take into account the many faces
of terrorism spread across the world.
During Mr Singh's deliberations
with the French leadership here, the two sides agreed that a "fundamentally
anarchic power has questioned the world of international relations."
Mr Singh told the French side, "In
the world that we are witnessing today there is a clash of values that
are anarchic against democracy, against pluralism, against economic growth."
The Minister impressed upon the
French leadership the need to address the system, not just the symptom,
because it was not just a question of cutting the swamp with a sword.
Mr Chirac "fully agreed" with Mr
Singh, Ms Rao said. Sources add that the play of forces within the region,
in the Pakistan-Afghanistan context, figured in the discussions. They also
hinted that the French displayed recognition of India's concerns.
In underlining that Islam cannot
be equated with terrorism the two sides also sought to dispel fears that
an international coalition against Islam was in the making. Such apprehensions
had crept into international vocabulary, particularly in the Islamic world,
ever since US President George Bush used the word "crusade" to define America's
offensive against the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden.Countries like India,
with a sizeable Muslim population, have since felt the need to broaden
the debate, and address terrorism as an independent, faithless entity.
With a US-led attack on the Taliban
militia in the making, Mr Singh also consulted with Mr Chirac on a post-Taliban
scenario. In this regard they decided to work together for a practical
option that brings together all sections of Afghan society and brings an
end to tribal anarchy. Reflections in the French media's coverage of the
post-September scenario indicate that, despite initial hesitation, there
is recognition here that India has been a victim of the terrorist menace
in South Asia, with its roots in Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Indian Embassy's
reading here is that the French media's acknowledgement of this is apparent
in the several references that India has found in analyses, talks, and
interviews in newspapers and on television since September 11.
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine,
meeting the Press along with Mr Singh after their meeting said, the visit
"gave us an opportunity to review our bilateral relationship and we both
want to speed up the implementation and coming into force of the judicial
conventions that were signed in 1998."
He however pointed out that, "given
the current circumstances we devoted most of our time to the consequences
of the tragic events that happened on September 11. We have reviewed the
situation. And we expressed our solidarity, the solidarity that has been
expressed already on a number of occasions to the American people." He
said the two sides "analysed the different aspects of the situation, the
current situation and also possible consequences that events might carry
in the coming weeks. Both our countries, as also the UN more generally,
recognize the legitimacy of an American reaction under Article 51 of the
UN Charter. And both our countries are deeply involved in the fight against
terrorism. And we know that at some point in time this fight against terrorism
might mean some military action but we also know that it is a longer lasting
fight. In this fight against terrorism we decided that we will remain in
close contact to share our analyses on these issues." Mr Singh also met
French Defence Minister A. Richard.
