<p>After being entrusted with the External Affairs portfolio on Saturday, S M Krishna reiterated New Delhi’s seven-month-old refrain that India was unlikely to restart the peace-process with Pakistan unless the latter takes “credible and determined” actions against the menace of terrorism.<br /><br />Krishna termed the terror infrastructure in Pakistan as a “stumbling block” for the peace-process between New Delhi and Islamabad to resume.<br /><br /><br /><br />The new External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s stand amid increasing pressure from United States to resume composite dialogue with Pakistan. New Delhi had paused the dialogue after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai on November 26 last year.<br /><br />“We stand ready to extend our hand of friendship and partnership with Pakistan. It may take determined and credible actions to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that is operating there,” he told mediapersons at the Karnataka Bhavan here. Krishna made New Delhi’s position clear just two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed hope that India and Pakistan could soon resume the dialogue.<br /><br />Appearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Clinton said that Washington hoped to see a reduction of tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.<br /><br />Clinton’s remarks were followed up by US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen, who recently made the case for Washington assisting India and Pakistan resolve ‘potential points of conflict’ as part of the efforts to ensure the success of the battle against terrorism in the South Central Asia. The White House spokesman Robert Gibbs too indicated that President Barack Obama’s administration wanted India and Pakistan to break the ice. <br />Islamabad has also been pressing Washington to ask New Delhi to reduce troops from Indo-Pakistan border so that it could also mobilise more forces from its western border to SWAT and neighbouring areas, where it has launched a military crackdown against the Talibans. But the first statement from the new External Affairs Minister clearly indicated that India is unlikely to soften its stand on the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.<br /><br />‘Peace with neighbours’<br /><br />“We would generally like to live in peace with our neighbours. That has been our desire and we are pursuing that. We cannot change our neighbours therefore we will have to live with them,” Krishna said. The former Karnataka chief minister succeeded Pranab Mukherjee, who – as the External Affairs Minister of the first UPA Government – had spearheaded New Delhi’s diplomatic offensive against Islamabad in the wake of the 26/11 attacks.<br /><br />Krishna said India required “peace and tranquility in its extended neighbourhood and a supportive international environment” to achieve its primary objective to sustain high rates of economic growth in the range of 9-10 % in the coming decades. He added that New Delhi would consolidate strategic partnership with major powers like the US, Russia, Japan, China and European Union. He reiterated New Delhi’s call to Colombo for immediate start of political steps for effective devolution of powers to ensure that Tamils and other communities in Sri Lanka could feel at home and lead lives of dignity within the framework of the island nation’s Constitution.</p>
<p>After being entrusted with the External Affairs portfolio on Saturday, S M Krishna reiterated New Delhi’s seven-month-old refrain that India was unlikely to restart the peace-process with Pakistan unless the latter takes “credible and determined” actions against the menace of terrorism.<br /><br />Krishna termed the terror infrastructure in Pakistan as a “stumbling block” for the peace-process between New Delhi and Islamabad to resume.<br /><br /><br /><br />The new External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s stand amid increasing pressure from United States to resume composite dialogue with Pakistan. New Delhi had paused the dialogue after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai on November 26 last year.<br /><br />“We stand ready to extend our hand of friendship and partnership with Pakistan. It may take determined and credible actions to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that is operating there,” he told mediapersons at the Karnataka Bhavan here. Krishna made New Delhi’s position clear just two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed hope that India and Pakistan could soon resume the dialogue.<br /><br />Appearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Clinton said that Washington hoped to see a reduction of tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.<br /><br />Clinton’s remarks were followed up by US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen, who recently made the case for Washington assisting India and Pakistan resolve ‘potential points of conflict’ as part of the efforts to ensure the success of the battle against terrorism in the South Central Asia. The White House spokesman Robert Gibbs too indicated that President Barack Obama’s administration wanted India and Pakistan to break the ice. <br />Islamabad has also been pressing Washington to ask New Delhi to reduce troops from Indo-Pakistan border so that it could also mobilise more forces from its western border to SWAT and neighbouring areas, where it has launched a military crackdown against the Talibans. But the first statement from the new External Affairs Minister clearly indicated that India is unlikely to soften its stand on the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.<br /><br />‘Peace with neighbours’<br /><br />“We would generally like to live in peace with our neighbours. That has been our desire and we are pursuing that. We cannot change our neighbours therefore we will have to live with them,” Krishna said. The former Karnataka chief minister succeeded Pranab Mukherjee, who – as the External Affairs Minister of the first UPA Government – had spearheaded New Delhi’s diplomatic offensive against Islamabad in the wake of the 26/11 attacks.<br /><br />Krishna said India required “peace and tranquility in its extended neighbourhood and a supportive international environment” to achieve its primary objective to sustain high rates of economic growth in the range of 9-10 % in the coming decades. He added that New Delhi would consolidate strategic partnership with major powers like the US, Russia, Japan, China and European Union. He reiterated New Delhi’s call to Colombo for immediate start of political steps for effective devolution of powers to ensure that Tamils and other communities in Sri Lanka could feel at home and lead lives of dignity within the framework of the island nation’s Constitution.</p>
