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American Morning

Interview of Lalit Mansingh, India's Ambassador to the U.S.

Aired December 27, 2001 - 09:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me from Washington is India's Ambassador to the United States Lalit Mansingh.

Thank you for being with us, Mr. Ambassador.

MANSINGH: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: You just saw that piece or heard that piece, at the very least, and it laid out very clearly how actively engaged the U.S. is in diplomacy right now.

Are you optimistic that Mr. Powell's efforts will bear some fruit?

MANSINGH: Well, we are appreciative of what Mr. Powell is doing. We also appreciate that two of the leading terrorist organizations have been listed by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.

What we would like to see is a stronger message to Pakistan to shut down these terrorist groups, because these are the ones which are attacking us and causing terrorism in India.

O'BRIEN: There's a presumption in that statement that President Musharraf has control over these terrorist groups. Do you believe his government -- and he, in particular -- is capable of shutting down these groups, as you put it?

MANSINGH: Well, obviously, he is the head of a military government, and the army is the most powerful institution in Pakistan. It is clear to us that President Musharraf is very much in control, and if only he had the will to do so, he could do it.

O'BRIEN: Do you get the sense, from listening to his comments in the wake of the attack on the parliament in India, do you get the sense that there is a conciliatory tone in his voice? Or do you see some stridency which causes you concern?

MANSINGH: My thought is we are concerned that time has passed for just giving us words and assurances. We would like to see some action taking place.

You know, the attack on the parliament on the 13th of December was like the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11. And there is a seething anger inside the country. People want something to be done.

Now, we are not going to wait for another attack to take place, so we would like Pakistan to take action and take some concrete action against these groups.

O'BRIEN: What action might India contemplate? And would you, at this juncture, Mr. Ambassador, rule out the use of nuclear weapons?

MANSINGH: Yes, of course, we are ruling out the use of nuclear weapons because we have a doctrine of no first use. So let's not talk about nuclear weapons.

MANSINGH: The action that we are thinking of is exactly the action that the United States has asked for. You know, Secretary Powell, in his statement yesterday, named these two groups and asked Pakistan to shut them down. That's exactly what we are saying, shut down these groups, arrest their people, and those who are responsible for the attack on the 13th of December, they should be handed over to us.

O'BRIEN: Could you give us a sense, sir -- if you could give us a quick sense of exactly what is the feelings in India right now and how much anxiety there might be, given the fact that the war on terrorism has put the U.S. in much closer contact with Pakistan?

MANSINGH: Well, the feeling in India is, as I said, one of deep anger, that for 10 years we've been facing this menace of terrorism, and it continues even after the war on terrorism has been declared. India continues to be attacked by terrorist groups which are coming from across the border.

So we want action to be taken, and we want this to be a part of the international action on terrorism, which the U.S. is leading. There is no difference between the terrorism we are facing in our country and the terrorism that is being attacked in Afghanistan. It's part of the same network.

O'BRIEN: But the fact is, the U.S. is closer to Pakistan than it ever has been. Are people in India concerned about that?

MANSINGH: No. It's not about Pakistan. It's about terrorism. We want the same action to be taken against terrorism. And if Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism, then Pakistan should also follow the line and close down its terrorist groups.

O'BRIEN: Do you see a way out, Mr. Ambassador, a way for diplomacy to work?

MANSINGH: Yes. We have given diplomacy time to work.

You know, on the 14th of December the Pakistani High Commissioner in Delhi was summoned to the foreign office, and he was told what we expected Pakistan to do, namely that they should shut down these groups, arrest the people and hand them over to us. And that has not been done. Two weeks have passed, we are still waiting for action to be taken by Pakistan. O'BRIEN: Are you setting deadlines?

MANSINGH: We're not setting deadlines. We're still hopeful that a diplomatic solution will produce results.

O'BRIEN: Lalit Mansingh is the Indian ambassador to the United States. We thank you very much for being with us, Mr. Ambassador.

MANSINGH: Thank you, Miles.

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