Saudi: PM sidesteps role of �interlocutor�

THE Prime Minister fought shy of using the word interlocutor,� the expression used by his Minister of State Shashi Tharoor while etching out the role he expected Saudi Arabia to play, vis-a-vis New Delhi�s concerns on terrorism vis-a-vis Pakistan.



During the media opportunity on the way back from Riyadh he was asked by this paper, that given the primacy of place Saudi Arabia has with Pakistan and given the fact that New Delhi was now in a strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia, if he thought Saudi Arabia could be a credible interlocutor for some of the issues that we have with Pakistan.



Singh said while he did discuss Indo-Pak relations with the King of Saudi Arabia on a one-to-one basis, explaining to him the role that terrorism, aided, abetted and inspired by Pakistan was playing in India, he did not ask the King `to do anything other than to use his good offices to persuade Pakistan to desist from this path.� It was clear from his response that the Prime Minister carefully chose not to characterise his request to the Saudi King as an act of interlocution. In response to another question he explained that to whoever he met in an increasingly inter-dependent world, to the world leaders I convey to them that all problems between India and Pakistan can be resolved through meaningful bilateral dialogue if only Pakistan would take a more reasonable attitude in dealing with those terrorist elements who target our country.� In response to yet another question from another quarter, Singh said he felt the Saudi leadership now had a better understanding of the predicament that we face both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan� and that there was a �great deal of sympathy and support for India�s point of view� and that what `we are asking is very reasonable.� Taken together, the clutch of remarks make it clear that Singh was not willing to semantically endorse Shashi Tharoor�s use of the word interlocutor� which has a formal and specific dimension in diplomatic parlance.



It may be said that when the clarification was issued on Sunday on the word, it was not issued by the Ministry of External Affairs but by the minister himself. In effect, the ministry left it to the minister to clean up his own mess.