Good Nukes Make Good Neighbors
South Asian papers gave
extensive coverage to the goodwill journey of Indian Prime Minister A.B.
Vajpayee, who crossed the Indo-Pakistani border on a bus this weekend to meet
with his counterpart Nawaz Sharif. According to Karachi's Dawn , Pakistan's foreign
minister emphasized that nuclearization had given rise to new challenges and
opportunities by bringing the two countries to "a defining moment."
The two day summit
culminated in the Lahore Declaration, in which the parties resolved to
intensify efforts to solve the Kashmir issue through ministerial talks and
agreed to a series of "confidence-building measures." These measures include
providing advance warning of ballistic missile tests and the continuation of
the nations' respective unilateral moratoriums on nuclear testing. The
countries plan to ease travel restrictions, and Sharif is expected to take a
trip to New Delhi. The Times of India called the visit "a new chapter of amity in
Indo-Pakistan relations," while the Independent pointed toward organized protests in
Lahore as evidence that the "commitment to neighborly amity is still less than
total."
The papers highlighted the symbolism of the event. Vajpayee
is the first Indian prime minister to visit Pakistan in the last 10 years. His
visit marked the opening of the first regular bus route between the quarrelling
nations since their foundation over 50 years ago. The Hindu of Madras quotes
Vajpayee's suggestion that "the running of the bus between the two countries
symbolizes the desire of the people to improve relations." The Guardian of London quotes
Pakistan's information minister's assertion that "in a situation where people
don't even make gestures, this is a powerful sign." Nevertheless, the Indian
papers differed in their assessment of the summit's outcome. The Hindu
commented that "this modest outcome was on expected lines and while it provided
a framework for a new beginning, a lot would depend on the follow-up," whereas
the Times of India wrote that the "bold steps" in the memorandum of
understanding "set the tone for a shared vision of peace and stability."
The coverage in Pakistani
papers was tepid. The Lahore-based Nation reported that the visit took place "amidst
feeling of both apprehension and optimism." By contrast, the coverage of
the visit to Pakistan of China's defense minister in Karachi's Dawn was
glowing.
Headlines throughout the world were also dominated by the
stalled Kosovo peace talks. Nine hours after the NATO deadline for a deal on
returning autonomy to the Yugoslavian province had passed, the French foreign
minister announced that the deadline had been extended by three days, thus
forestalling the airstrikes that NATO had threatened. The Sunday papers placed
the blame for the deadlock on Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's
intransigent refusal to countenance a NATO-led force as peacekeepers, despite
the fact that Kosovo Albanians were holding out for a referendum on
independence once the three year interim period covered by the proposed
settlement expired. Britain's Daily Telegraph called Milosevic "Belgrade's master of
brinksmanship." The Sunday Times of London commented that the stalemate evinced
NATO's weak hand in forcing a settlement.
In a story
titled "US fails to win right to bomb Kosovo," Britain's Independent commented
Monday that the Kosovo Albanians' refusal to unilaterally sign on to the
settlement frustrated U.S. attempts to corner Milosevic with the choice of
accepting the peace package or facing airstrikes. The paper remarked that the
Kosovo Albanians' refusal to assent makes it more likely that the talks will
end in "a fudged compromise."
The Sunday Times reported that British
police have had some success in sartorial sleuthing. A computerized database of
footprints found at crime scenes reveals that Reebok Classics recently
displaced Nike Air Max as the favorite footwear of British criminals. In one
case, police used a shoe print to link an unlucky Nike loyalist to 36 other
crimes. The paper said that although the police cannot use sneaker stereotyping
to arrest people, officers are told to watch out for suspicious shoes. Readers
beware of choice of footwear when in a country without a bill of rights!
