EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Conference of Asian States Limited in its Ability to Promote Regional Stability

EURASIA INSIGHT

CONFERENCE OF ASIAN STATES LIMITED IN ITS ABILITY TO PROMOTE REGIONAL STABILITY
6/06/06

Asian states attempted to forge greater cohesion on anti-terrorism efforts during the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), but their efforts were overshadowed by a failed attempt by Russia and the host country, Kazakhstan, to defuse tension between India and Pakistan.

The inaugural CICA gathering, which ended June 4, drew leaders from 16 Asian nations. The Indian-Pakistani crisis dominated the gathering. Following talks with top Indian and and Pakistani leaders, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev indicated that the two parties were far apart on finding compromise in a dispute that stems from the ongoing violence in Kashmir, and from India holding Pakistan responsible for a terrorist raid on the Indian parliament last December. "The process is very complicated," Nazarbayev told a news conference. "The elites and political powers in both countries are involved in this. It is not easy for the presidents alone to sort out these complicated issues."

At the same time, Nazarbayev held out hope that a negotiated solution could be found. "In my private talks [with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee] I asked him whether it was possible that this conflict might lead to a nuclear exchange," the Kazakhstani president said. "Nobody wants war. � Since they don’t want war, a solution to these problems can be found through dialogue and negotiations."

Finding a point of departure for talks has proven difficult. In Almaty, India rebuffed an attempt by
Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring the two countries together. While Indian officials said they were willing to remain in contact with their Pakistani counterparts, New Dehli’s National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra told a news conference June 4 that "there should be a proper atmosphere in the border area with Pakistan" to facilitate substantive discussions.

Meanwhile, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf praised Putin’s diplomatic initiative on June 4, adding that he was prepared to meet with Vajpayee under any format "as the Indian leader wishes." Musharrraf said Pakistan would not initiate hostilities, "but if war is imposed on us, we will defend our country resolutely."

The Indian-Pakistani crisis exposed the limitations of the CICA to serve as a forum to promote regional security. The conference is designed for dialogue, and lacks mechanisms to implement and enforce decisions taken by member states.

While all the participating states endorsed the concept of fighting terrorism, the definitions of what constitutes terrorism and who is a terrorist seems to vary from country to country. Thus, anti-terrorism initiatives, including an anti-terrorism declaration adopted by CICA states, stand little chance of improving the security climate unless participating states find a common definition of terrorism, some participants said. "Rooting out terrorism is a major topical problem at the present time," Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizada said June 4. "Stability, consistency, no selective approach, and no double standards are essential in the struggle with ominous phenomena as terrorism."

Putin urged the creation of a common security space on the Asian continent. The Russian president identified terrorism and extremism among as the main threats in the region. He suggested that a successful strategy in surmounting the challenges should be tied to greater economic cooperation.

Editor�s Note: Aibat Zharikbayev is a freelance journalist based in Kazakhstan.

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