What Blair's calming influence really means!
purple | 12.01.2002 19:00
The government is mounting an intensive campaign to boost arms sales to India, including 60 Hawk jets worth £1bn, in spite of the danger of the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir spilling into war and destabilising the entire region.
Looks to me like the goverment has no interest in calming the situation in Kashmir, more that their once again using the situation to sell more war and destruction!. So Mr Blair and the rest of your cronies how many more children will have to die before your lust for death is saited??.
Below is a summary of the story from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,10674,631669,00.html
The government is mounting an intensive campaign to boost arms sales to India, including 60 Hawk jets worth £1bn, in spite of the danger of the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir spilling into war and destabilising the entire region.
The arms push comes only a week after Tony Blair visited India and Pakistan.
Ministers have been pressing India behind the scenes to clinch the contract.
John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, is scheduled to visit India next month for a conference on sustainable development but he is also expected to raise the Hawk deal, which he championed during a visit to New Delhi last year.
The head of the Indian army, Sunderajan Padmanabhan, said yesterday that the build-up of Indian and Pakistan forces along the border had brought the two "quite close to an actual war" and his country was ready for it.
A spokesman for the Pakistan high commission in London yesterday said Pakistan was "very concerned" at the arms build-up: "India has overwhelming support in conventional weapons.
India has increased its defence spending by 28% in the last two years whereas Pakistan has virtually frozen its defence budget in the same period.
Britain imposed an effective arms embargo on Pakistan three years ago.
Although the US lifted its arms embargo late last year after Pakistan helped the US in the war in Afghanistan, the Pakistan high commission spokesman insisted the British embargo was still in place, with requests for spare parts being delayed.
Below is a summary of the story from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,10674,631669,00.html The government is mounting an intensive campaign to boost arms sales to India, including 60 Hawk jets worth £1bn, in spite of the danger of the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir spilling into war and destabilising the entire region.
The arms push comes only a week after Tony Blair visited India and Pakistan.
Ministers have been pressing India behind the scenes to clinch the contract.
John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, is scheduled to visit India next month for a conference on sustainable development but he is also expected to raise the Hawk deal, which he championed during a visit to New Delhi last year.
The head of the Indian army, Sunderajan Padmanabhan, said yesterday that the build-up of Indian and Pakistan forces along the border had brought the two "quite close to an actual war" and his country was ready for it.
A spokesman for the Pakistan high commission in London yesterday said Pakistan was "very concerned" at the arms build-up: "India has overwhelming support in conventional weapons.
India has increased its defence spending by 28% in the last two years whereas Pakistan has virtually frozen its defence budget in the same period.
Britain imposed an effective arms embargo on Pakistan three years ago.
Although the US lifted its arms embargo late last year after Pakistan helped the US in the war in Afghanistan, the Pakistan high commission spokesman insisted the British embargo was still in place, with requests for spare parts being delayed.
purple
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Foreplay for the sake of peace
13.01.2002 00:43
Top government officials in Delhi have already started back door defence policy talks and the new arms deal could take different shapes without public knowledge. The consequences likely to follow the deal is fairly obvious at this moment of extreme political tension in the sub-continent. Not only will it flare up cross border rivalries but will be used as a convenient political excuse to stir up communalism in the name of patriotism i.e noble claims of defending the country. Britain’s support through arms supply in the region will be easily translated by governments (be it India or Pakistan)as a friendly gesture meant only to combat terrorism. In this highly disguised ideological battle we are bound to lose sight of the multi-faced peace missions and be carried away by the political rhetoric of global initiatives against terrorism.
Ghosh