India's hawkish home minister L.K. Advani was behind the decision to spike a proposed agreement at the collapsed summit between India and Pakistan, newspaper reports said Tuesday.
According to the Indian Express newspaper, a "down-to-the-wire" draft declaration referring to the "centrality" of the Kashmir issue had been hammered out late on Monday.
"But a consensus wasn't possible in the Cabinet Committee on Security," the Express said.
"Advani's view that this went too far and would offend ... constituencies back home carried the day. He was supported by the bureaucracy."
In a strong rebuttal, India's foreign minister Jaswant Singh while briefing the press in Agra on Tuesday, said: "There were no differences among the cabinet colleagues. This is a canard and I refuse to accept it. It is an absurdity."
Singh was replying to a direct question on whether Advani disapproved of any of the clauses in the draft Agra Declaration which led to the breakdown of the talks -- NEW DELHI (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
