[lbo-talk] Taliban: India and Russia have much to lose

[Chris Doss]

India and Russia have much to lose

By Ramtanu Maitra

Both Moscow and New Delhi are worried that the Taliban are gaining ground 
and that, despite the firepower Washington possesses, they could be back in 
the saddle in Kabul. What then?

According to a report by Agence France Presse, during the November summit 
discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Indian 
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the latter voiced concern over the 
Taliban threat in Afghanistan. "Events in Afghanistan cause anxiety; there 
exists a threat of the Taliban's return in one form or another," Vajpayee 
told Putin. The Russian president's reply, if there was one, was not 
reported.

But in a joint declaration following the summit, a paragraph was dedicated 
to Afghanistan, and the last sentence in that paragraph showed the concern: 
"India and the Russian Federation strongly believe that Afghanistan should 
emerge as a peaceful, strong prosperous, united and independent nation that 
would be free from external interference and living in peace and harmony 
with its neighbors." It is now on the record that neither India nor Russia 
really believes that Afghanistan, as it stands today, is emerging as a 
peaceful nation free from external interference. What they will do about it 
remains to be seen, but a review of the reasons for their mutual concern 
suggests some likely steps.


http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EK26Df04.html

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