PAKISTAN

By George Rathjens

With our having had three workshops in New Delhi in the last several years in which nuclear weapons and Indo-Pakistani tensions and differences were prominent issues for discussion, I had felt the need to talk more with Pakistanis about these matters, the more so because not many Pakistanis had been able to travel to India for our meetings there, due to Pakistani governmental restrictions. The importance and urgency of visiting Pakistan was reinforced when we were informed that Tanvir Ahmed Khan, a senior Pakistani who had planned to participate in our most recent workshop in New Delhi would be unable to do so because of health problems.

So, I went to Islamadbad immediately after our March workshop in New Delhi, to meet with Tanvir and with Abdul Sattar, the present foreign minister (and Pugwash participant, having most recently attended the 48th Pugwash Conference in Jurica, Mexico in 1998). Tanvir had also arranged for me to meet with 25-30 Pakistani foreign relations and defense policy specialists at two seminars, and I also spoke, less formally, at a small luncheon hosted by Abdul Sattar. In all three meetings I reviewed what had happened in the New Delhi workshop, but in addition, and somewhat to my surprise, there was considerable discussion-more, it seemed to me, than in the New Delhi workshop--of various arms control proposals, e.g., a fissionable materials cut-off, de-alerting of nuclear weapons, and security guarantees. These discussions reflected broader and deeper interest in such measures than I had expected; and I left Pakistan with a sense that there is a larger and better informed group of international relations/arms control/defense specialists in the country than I had been aware of. Clearly, we have missed a lot by not having more of them involved in Pugwash.

My meetings in Islamabad occurred at the time when the Taliban destruction of the Budda staues in Bamiyan was getting press attention, and when questions were being raised about the efforts of Pakistan and of other countries to influence these activities, and other Taliban practices, that have been widely deplored outside of Afghanistan. We discussed these somewhat, and this has caused me to wonder if there might be a role for Pugwash in trying to influence Taliban behavior by facilitatating communication with the broader world community, even as we have attempted in other instances of so-called "rogue states and regimes".

 

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Sir Joseph Rotblat, the founder and president emeritus of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, and other members of the Pugwash Council paid a visit to the two Koreas and China from April 2nd to April 10th. This visit was timely and significant as the US-Chinese, US-North Korean, as well as North and South Korean relations were experiencing difficulties since the new administration under President Bush decided to review the overall policy of the Clinton administration with regard to North Korea and to speed implementation of the NMD/TMD programs. Even further steps in the high-level dialogue between the two Koreas had been postponed or cancelled since early March. The purpose of this visit was to get first-hand information about the situation in the region and to engage the two Koreas in peaceful contact, to seek ways and means to improve the situation in East Asia, and to set up a Pugwash National Group in North Korea. In Pugwash tradition they also wanted to help the two Koreas with the on-going peace-building process which was initiated by President Kim Dae-Jung of South Korea with the historic June 2000 summit meeting between the two leaders of Koreas.

In Seoul Sir Joseph and other members of the Pugwash Council actively participated in the first Pugwash Workshop on East Asian Security, where 30 renowned experts from 11 countries exchanged views on the currrent situation in the region and sought possible solutions. The Korean media gave him a warm welcome and wrote widely about his life and his activities in Pugwash. He was even awarded an honorary citizenship of Seoul, sister city of his birthplace Warsaw by the Mayor of Seoul, Hon. Ko Keun.

On April 3rd, Sir Joseph, Secretary-general Prof. George Rathjens, and Dr. Mark B.M. Suh, member of the Pugwash Council, were warmly received by President Kim Dae-Jung in his office and spent almost an hour discussing the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Sir Joseph congratulated President Kim Dae-Jung on his Nobel Peace Prize for 2000 and welcomed him to the "club." He thanked Kim Dae-Jung for what he had done for peace and democracy in Korea and encouraged him to continue his endeavor to end the cold war on the peninsula and to coexist peacefully with the North. Kim Dae-Jung expressed his appreciation and respect for Sir Joseph and the Pugwash for contributing to world peace and nuclear disarmament. He shared his optimistic view of his "sunshine" policy and assured the guests that he would continue to seek reconcilation and cooperation with the North. Secretary-general George Rathjens reported on the progress of the Pugwash workshop on East Asian security in Seoul.

Shortly after the Pugwash workshop in Seoul, Sir Joseph Rotblat and Dr. Mark Suh visited China at the invitation of the Chinese People´s Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD). Discussions focused on the new US East Asian policy and on possible negative impact of the US National and Threatre Missile Defense Progams on East Asian security. The Chinese hosts stressed the need for Pugwash to pay more attention to East Asia, as the situation was worsening with the Bush administration´s determination to push for NMD and TMD. The Chinese hosts expressed a keen desire to participate and to organize various Pugwash activities in the region.

Sir Joseph and Dr. Suh continued their journey to North Korea at the invitation of the Korean National Peace Committee (KNPC) from April 7th to 10th. They were warmly greeted at the airport by the Vice Chairman of the Korean National Peace Committee, Li Song-Ho who is also a high ranking government official, since its Chairman, Mun Chae-Chol, was out of the country and Kim Song, secretary-general of the KNPC. They had prepared the program thoughtfully and accompanied the guests throughout the visit. In Pyongyang, there was a series of discussions in a friendly atmosphere between the KNPC and the Pugwash delegation.

The highlight of the visit was the high-level political contact with Mr Yang Hyong-Sop, Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. In North Korea, the titular Head of State is the President of the Presidium of the SPA, who was abroad at the time. Mr Yang, himself a former President of the Presidium, was the Acting Head of State. The interview with him was scheduled - by protocol - for half an hour, but it actually lasted a full hour. An in-depth dialogue focused on the issue of NMD and TMD, relations between the USA and North Korea, as well as between the two Koreas. He was well informed about international politics and stressed that the US government is again using North Korea as an excuse for its arms buildup. He expressed a strong interest in the creation of the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the region and stressed his concern about the new US policy toward North Korea and China. He also showed interest in the conversation which Sir Joseph had in Seoul with Kim Dae-Jung. He expressed his objection to any mediation between the two Koreas by any third party. In the end, he expressed his full support for Pugwash activities, and the participation of North Koreans in them.

There were also contacts with scientists in North Korea. A meeting at the Kim Il Sung University with a number of nuclear scientists, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Atomic Energy, was held in a friendly atmosphere. Sir Joseph spoke at length about the history of Pugwash and about his life-long activities for nuclear disarmament and world peace. Dr. Suh also shared his views on security issues in the region and talked about the Pugwash National Group in South Korean. Although there were only a few questions during the meeting, when the formal meeting was over, several of them continued to ask questions until the very last minute. North Korean scientists expressed much interest in the work of Pugwash and wished to participate in future meetings of Pugwash. They openly showed their desire to have contacts with scientists from other countries and their need for exchanges based on mutual respect.

No doubt, the visit was too short to get a full view of the country, but it was an important and successful undertaking in establishing relations between Pugwash and North Korea. Sir Joseph succeeded in convincing the North Koreans that Pugwash has an important role in reducing tensions and in bringing peace to Korea. His tireless efforts for peace were rewarded by positive responses to some proposals for action. The North Korean host agreed to establish the North Korean Pugwash Group and to partcipate in future Pugwash activities including this year´s annual meeting in Agra, India. The delegation not only witnessed a strong desire for peace, but also changes in North Korean views about the outside world. Through this brief but important undertaking, Pugwash had and will continue to have a positive impact in this part of the world.

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