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Clinton acknowledges Indian position, restraint

American President Bill Clinton rang up Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tonight and discussed with him the situation in the Kargil sector, caused by the Pakistani intrusion over the Line of Control, for about 10 minutes.

Vajpayee explained India's position on the issue to Clinton, who recognised the restraint exercised by India so far, official sources said.

The American president told the prime minister that he was also in touch with Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharief so that the situation does not escalate further.

Clinton had written letters to Vajpayee and Sharief soon after India launched military action to flush out the Pakistan-backed infiltrators in the Kargil sector.

In the letter to Sharief, the President had asked Islamabad to respect the LoC.

Clinton's telephone call today comes a day after Sharief rang up Vajpayee and called for "mutually acceptable" approaches to defuse the flare-up.

"It is incumbent on the leadership to avert any further aggravation which will be detrimental to the economic development efforts of both countries," he is reported to have told Vajpayee.

Pakistan is in a tight spot on the diplomatic front on the issue with major powers asking it to respect the LoC as delineated 27 years ago.

India has been maintaining that the onus for the current conflict rests on Pakistan, and Islamabad should vacate the armed aggression into India and restore the sanctity of the de facto border.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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