DATE=11/14/98 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-41868 TITLE=TALBOTT ON PEACE AND SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA BYLINE=AKMAL ALEEMI DATELINE=WASHINGTON CONTENT= VOICED AT: (NOT VOICED) INTRO: UNITED STATES' DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE STROBE TALBOTT DISCUSSED BY TELEPHONE ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE PEACE AND SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA (ON THE U-S INFORMATION AGENCY WORLDNET PROGRAM "DIALOGUE" SATURDAY) WITH CALLERS FROM INDIA AND PAKISTAN. V-O-A'S AKMAL ALEEMI HAS A REPORT: TEXT: MR. TALBOTT WELCOMED THE SUGGESTION BY A CALLER FROM ISLAMABAD THAT PAKISTAN WAS GRADUALLY MOVING TOWARD A CONSENSUS ON SIGNING THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT). BUT HE DID NOT AGREE WITH THE PAKISTANI THAT CTBT MAY BE FOLLOWED BY SUBSEQUENT DEMANDS FOR OTHER NON-PROLIFERATION MEASURES THAT MIGHT UNDERMINE PAKISTAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY.: /// TALBOTT ACT 1 /// THE UNITED STATES IS NOT IN THE POSITION OF MAKING DEMANDS ON ITS FRIENDS IN PAKISTAN OR ITS FRIENDS IN INDIA. THE ESSENCE OF THE DIALOGUE THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON AND SECRETARY ALBRIGHT HAVE ASKED ME TO CONDUCT WITH SHAMSHAD AHMAD IN PAKISTAN AND WITH JASWANT SINGH IN INDIA IS PRECISELY A DIALOGUE THAT IS A DISCUSSION BETWEEN AND AMONG FRIENDS ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE ALL OF OUR INTERESTS SYNERGISTICALLY. THIS IS NOT A ZERO-SUM GAME. IT'S NOT A CASE OF THE UNITED STATES MAKING DEMANDS AGAINST FRIENDS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN THAT WILL IMPROVE THE SECURITY PROSPECTS, BOTH FOR INDIA AND FOR PAKISTAN, AND ALSO ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL NON-PROLIFERATION REGIME. /// END ACT /// MR. TALBOTT EXPLAINED THAT OTHER STEPS WHICH THE UNITED STATES IS URGING UPON BOTH INDIA AND PAKISTAN -- IN ADDITION TO ADHERENCE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY -- INCLUDE HALTING THE PRODUCTION OF FISSILE MATERIAL, AND AGREEING ON A SET OF STRATEGIC RESTRAINTS ON BALLISTIC MISSILES AND EXPORT CONTROLS. KASHMIR, HE SAID, IS ANOTHER ISSUE THAT GOES TO THE HEART OF THE SECURITY INTERESTS OF BOTH COUNTRIES. MR. TALBOTT HAD A ROUND OF MEETINGS WITH PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN SECRETARY, SHAMSHAD AHMAD, AND HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART, JASWANT SINGH. IN WASHINGTON. HE SAID HE HAS PLANS TO HAVE FURTHER TALKS WITH MR. SINGH NEXT WEEK IN ROME. THE U-S OFFICIAL TOLD A CALLER FROM NEW DELHI THAT THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT DISAGREE WITH MOVING TOWARDS GLOBAL NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT. WASHINGTON, HE SAID, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE OTHER NUCLEAR POWERS TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION. THE STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TALKS WITH MOSCOW HAVE YIELDED SUBSTANTIAL AGREEMENTS, HE SAID. BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE REDUCED THE NUMBER OF SHORT-RANGE NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY 90 PERCENT. THE BRITISH AND THE FRENCH HAVE COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO VOLUNTARY REDUCTIONS OF THEIR OWN. MR. TALBOTT SAID CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY INDIANS AND PAKISTANI BELIEVE, NUCLEAR ARMS DO NOT ENHANCE SECURITY, INSTEAD, HE SAID, THEY CAUSE INSTABILITY. REFERRING TO THE FIERCE RIVALRY BETWEEN INDIAN AND PAKISTAN OVER KASHMIR AND OTHER ISSUES, HE REMINDED HIS LISTENERS IN SOUTH ASIA THE STAGGERING COSTS OF THE COLD WAR: /// TALBOTT ACT 2 /// JUST MANAGING THE NUCLEAR SIDE OF THAT COMPETITION ALONE COST THE UNITED STATES FIVE AND ONE HALF TRILLION DOLLARS. AND THE COST OF PROSECUTING THAT RIVALRY ON THE SOVIET SIDE CONTRIBUTED TO THE END OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE SOVIET SYSTEM. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT THERE'S THE DANGER OF WAR. WE'RE TALKING HERE ABOUT TWO COUNTRIES (INDIA AND PAKISTAN) THAT HAVE BEEN TO WAR THREE TIMES. AND TO HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN THAT MIX CANNOT BE REASSURING TO ANYONE, PARTICULARLY IN THE ABSENCE OF MUTUAL RESTRAINTS AND CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES ON THE TWO SIDES THAT WOULD AT LEAST KEEP THE COMPETITION UNDER SOME KIND OF CONTROL. /// END ACT /// MR. TALBOTT DISMISSED THE INDIAN PRESS REPORTS CITED BY ANOTHER CALLER FROM NEW DELHI THAT WASHINGTON WAS TRYING TO ENTER INTO A SECRET DEAL WITH INDIA THAT WOULD PROMISE IT A SEAT IN THE U-N SECURITY COUNCIL IN EXCHANGE OF ITS ACCEPTANCE OF CTBT: /// TALBOTT ACT 3 /// EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WITH OUR INDIAN AND PAKISTAN COLLEAGUES IS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF WHAT WE THINK IS REALISTIC AND DOABLE GIVEN WHAT INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE CHOSEN TO DO AND HAVE SET THEIR INTERESTS ON. WE HAVEN'T, FOR EXAMPLE, SAID INDIA AND PAKISTAN MUST ACCEPT THE NPT TOMORROW, OR EVEN THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. WE HAVEN'T SAID THAT INDIAN AND PAKISTAN MUST AGREE NOT TO TEST BALLISTIC MISSILES, EVEN THOUGH WE THINK THAT A BAN ON THE TESTING OF BALLISTIC MISSILES WOULD ACTUALLY BE A POSITIVE STEP. WHAT WE HAVE PROPOSED ARE DOABLE THINGS -- THINGS THAT ARE IN THE CONFINES OF STATED INDIAN AND PAKISTANI DEFENSE POLICY. /// END ACT /// REFERRING TO BALLISTIC MISSILES AND AIRCRAFT CAPABLE OF CARRYING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, MR. TALBOTT SAID, WE ARE HOPING THAT THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WILL SEE FIT TO RESTRAIN AND RESTRICT THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE DELIVERY SYSTEMS SO AS NOT TO EXACERBATE OR ACCELERATE THE BALLISTIC MISSILE ARMS RACE THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE PROVE RUINOUSLY EXPENSIVE TO THE TWO COUNTRIES. U-S DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE STROBE TALBOTT SAID THAT IF THERE CAN BEE A BREAKTHROUGH ON STRATEGIC RESTRAINTS AND FISSILE MATERIAL, HE HOPES TO USE PRIME MINISTER SHARIF'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON IN EARLY DECEMBER TO ACCELERATE THE PROCESS. MR. TALBOTT SAID THE RECENT STEPS WASHINGTON TOOK TO HELP PAKISTAN OVERCOME WHAT HE TERMED DIRE ECONOMIC CRISIS WAS ALSO IN INDIA'S AND THE WORLD'S INTEREST. HE SAID THE WATCHWORD OF U-S POLICY FOR SOUTH ASIA WAS EVENHANDEDNESS . (SINGED) NEB/AA/GE 14-Nov-98 3:48 PM EST (2048 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .