Lead the fight against landmines, India urged

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 3. Urging India to take up the lead role in the crusade against use of landmines, the Nobel peace laureate, Ms. Jody Williams, has criticised the Indian authorities in denying her a meeting with the President and the Prime Minister on the plea that the issue concerned national security.

``I feel saddened that the top Indian leadership did not find it worthwhile to meet me,'' Ms. William told reporters

here today. She is here for the two-day national conference on ``Landmines: Challenges to Humanity and Environment'', organised by the Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament and Environmental Protection and the Society for allround development.

Ms. Williams and her colleagues faced difficulties and a lot of delay in getting visas from the Indian embassy in the U.S. as the issue was ``a delicate national security matter.'' Ultimately, her visit was okayed but she found that a frivolous excuse was given in trying to prevent her from visiting the world's largest democracy. However, she added that her global campaign was not aimed at embarrassing any government or military power.

Regretting that her attempts proved futile in securing appointments with the President, the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, she added, ``my President, Mr. Bill Clinton, also never met me.''

As many as 139 countries signed the 1997 Ottawa Treaty to ban the use of anti-personnel mines while nations such as the U.S., India and Pakistan declined to endorse the Treaty. As many as 112 countries had ratified the Treaty and several NATO member- countries had signed it.

Pointing out that no war had been won by the use of landmines, she said she was inclined to believe that anti- personnel mines were used during the Kargil conflict.

Ms. Williams, awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1997, said eight South Asian nations still used landmines adding that the onus of providing leadership against the use of landmines was largely with India. In Asia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand had signed the Treaty.

The Canadian High Commissioner to India, Mr. Peter

Sutherland, vowed full support to the campaign against landmines saying his country was trying to engage India in a dialogue. ``Both the governments are aware of each other's viewpoint. There ought to be an equation between military advantages and humanitarian disadvantages on the issue.''

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