LAHORE – The United States had pressurised India to recognise Kosovo’s independence early, but New Delhi worried that a parallel would be drawn between Kosovo and Kashmir, reported The Hindu while citing the US embassy cables accessed through the WikiLeaks.
The newspaper said even before Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008, US Ambassador David C Mulford had urged India to join the United States and key European countries in recognising Kosovo’s independence as early as possible after the expected move.
“Recognition from India would indicate global solidarity and help stave off instability in Kosovo and the region,” the cable quotes the ambassador as having said. In response, Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon thanked the ambassador for conveying the US position, but stated that the Indian government was yet to decide how to respond.
Diplomatic analysis in the cable suggests that India’s historical alignment and the fear that Kosovo’s independence would set a similar precedent for Kashmir would also work against an immediate Indian recognition for Kosovo. The US Embassy in New Delhi continued to raise the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as evident by a political demarche delivered on February 21, 2008.
However, the MEA released a statement, indicating India’s consistent position that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be fully respected by all states, adding that the Kosovo issue should have been resolved through peaceful means and through consultation and dialogue between the concerned parties.
EU Kashmir Council dubs cricket diplomacy ‘insufficient’
ISLAMABAD – EU Kashmir Council Chairman Ali Raza Syed on Monday said that cricket diplomacy was not enough to improve the relations between Pakistan and India and Kashmir issue would have to be resolved on priority basis according to the will of Kashmiris.
Addressing a news conference here at National Press Club (NPC), Ali Raza said that failure of numerous agreements between India and Pakistan including Tashkant and Shimla, revealed that conflicts between both the countries cannot be settled unless the Kashmir issue is not resolved. “If the international community can raise its voice for East Taimur, Kosovo and Sudan, then Kashmir must be given the foremost priority due to the worsening security situation there,” he said.
He said that collective human conscience was demanding justice from India according to the UN Resolution 38. “Whole world is facing the menace of terrorism whereas the stability of Afghanistan and freedom of Kashmir is necessary to get rid of it,” he said. Staff Report
