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India 'did not violate 1991 deal'

C K Arora in Washington

India's ambassador to the United States, Naresh Chandra, who has called on Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering, is understood to have stated that the Pakistani naval aircraft violated the 1991 agreement, forcing the Indian Air Force to resort to the defensive action.

He is understood to have explained that ''India was not in violation of the agreement signed between the two countries eight years ago to avoid aerial clashes''.

According to Indian embassy sources, Naresh Chandra met Pickering for general exchange of views as part of normal interaction between the embassy and the state department.

They reviewed a number of issues, including the US spokesman's observation that both India and Pakistan had acted against the spirit of the 1991 agreement in the context of the downing of the plane.

Naresh Chandra said that in this particular case, there was a clear violation by a military combat aircraft and the IAF followed all the standard international procedures before taking suitable action in self-defence.

He said the 1991 agreement was meant to be preventive but it did not supercede the established international norms.

Pickering is understood to have responded by saying that it was not the intention of the US to pass any judgement on the issue.

He said the US would continue to encourage the two countries to observe all agreements and continue the bilateral process without being distracted.

UNI

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