RESTRICTED
VISIT OF SIR JOHN COLES: RECORD OF PLENARY TALKS
SECOND SESSION: 1000, 5 NOVEMBER 1992
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
Mr Srinivasan, Secretary West
Mr Rajan, Deputy High
Commissioner, London
Mr H K Singh, Joint Secretary,
Europe (West) Division
Mr Viswanathan, Director, Europe (West)
Sir J Coles
High Commissioner Minister
Head of Chancery
Mr Collis
Miss Suchitra Duray, Deputy Secretary, Europe (West)
1. Mr Srinivasan noted two significant overnight developments: the US Presidential elections and, to India's pleasure, the Prime Minister's victory in the House of Commons vote on Maastricht. Sir J Coles said that Parliament would in due course proceed to the Committee stage of consideration of the Maastricht Treaty. He gave the Indians our analysis of a Clinton Administration's approach to foreign policy issues based on the five speeches he had given on foreign affairs, noting that Clinton's initial priorities were, however, likely to be domestic.
Non Proliferation
2.
Sir J Coles made clear that substantive discussion was for Mr Lever's visit next month. He lobbied for Indian support for Mr Kenyon's candidacy for the Executive Secretary post to the Prepcom for the CW Convention, and sought an up-to-date account of India's attitude to the proposal for 5 power talks on regional non-proliferation ahead of Indian contacts with the US later in the month.
3.
Mr Srinivasan noted that Sir J Coles had already discussed this issue with the Indian Foreign Secretary. India would not
Parliament would not wear sign the NPT in its present form. this at a time when one of India's neighbours was engaged in a
India also had a fully covert nuclear weapons programme. fledged NWS on its border which had made no commitments to
India also had avoid vertical nuclear weapons proliferation.
it was not universal or philosophical problems with the NPT: non-discriminatory. India was opposed to all Weapons of Mass Destruction. India's approach was not isolationist or confrontational: there was a dialogue with the US, and India was ready for dialogues with the UK, Japan, Germany and Pakistan. India was ready to cooperate with all friendly states to work for revision of the NPT to meet its concerns. At present India's impression, however, was that most others wished to see the NPT extended in its present form, whether for a limited period or sine die.
-
- 1