Pokhran tests made US take India seriously: Talbott

NEW DELHI: The 1998 Pokhran atomic tests made the US take India seriously and Washington decided to engage New Delhi in talks on strategic nuclear issues, a top official of the former Clinton administration has said.

"It is ironic but yes," former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said when asked whether the 1998 tests triggered the decision of the US administration under President Bill Clinton to engage India in the talks.

Recalling that there were differences in India at that time on whether or not to conduct nuclear tests, he said there was a section here which said the country should demonstrate its nuclear weapon capability so that the US took it seriously.

"They test and guess what, the US takes India seriously," said Talbott who was in office at that time. "You can say it, sort of, vindicated the exact argument that we did not want to prevail. I recognised that."

Talbott was the key US interlocutor for the strategic dialogue with then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and they held 13 rounds of talks between 1998 and 2000. 

Talbott said the US and India had had "massive disagreements" on the nuclear issue since 1974, when it became apparent that New Delhi was going to acquire nuclear weapons capability.

"That disagreement became acute after the May 1998 tests," said Talbott.

The US, however, decided this disagreement had to be "happily managed", he said, adding that this led to launch of a strategic dialogue.

Noting that India and the US had "perversely" ended up on opposite sides during the Cold War, Talbott said it had "stunted what should have been growing relations".

But India was always considered a great country, he said.

On the issue of terrorism directed against India emanating from Pakistan, Talbott agreed that it had not yet ended and said this required dialogue.

"Successive US governments have always understood that terrorism like non-proliferation is a problem and it must be addressed in the US-Pakistan relationship," he said.

Recalling his experiences, he said, "Whenever I went to Islamabad, I talked not just about non-proliferation but terrorism as well, including terrorism against India. Not only terrorism up against the other side of the Khyber pass (in Afghanistan) but also the other side of the LoC ."

Talbott said he was certain the same is true with the current Bush administration.

But when pointed out that cross-border terrorism still exists, he said, "I didn't say it wasn't. That is why we have to keep talking."

Referring to the agreement between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to set up a joint mechanism to fight terrorism, he said they have "decided to work together, good luck to them".