Department of State TELEGRAM

Department

PAGE 01

ISLAMA 09952

of State

TELEGRAM

I20649 Z

1 5

ACTION SS-2 5

INFO OCT-01 /026 W

P R 120600Z DEC 7 2

FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABA D

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 710 3

INFO AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI

12193 5

ISLAMABAD 995 2

EXDI S

FROM CHARG E

SUBJ : INDO/PAK AGREEMENT ON KASHMIR LINE :

WITHDRAWAL OF F ORCE S

RAE ISLAMABAD : 2237

I CONSIDER THE D ECEMBE R 11 AGREEMENT OVER TH E 1. KASHMIR LINE TO HAVE VERY IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS . NO T ONLY DOES IT OPEN THE WAY FOR FORCE WITHDRAWALS BY BOT H INDIA AND PAKISTAN TO THE . INTERNATIONAL BORDER, BUT I T ALSO MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR BOTH COUNTRIES TO PICK U P

THE THREAD OF OTHER POSITIVE STEPS ANTICIPATED IN TH E SIMLA ACCORD OF LAST JULY . WE ARE WELL AWARE, HOWEVER , THAT MANY OBSTACLES REMAIN TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A QTE DURABLE PEACE IN THE SUBCONTrNENT UNQTE A S CONTEMPLATED IN THE SIMLA ACCORD . I BELIEVE THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US T O SHOW OUR PLEASURE OVER THE KASHMIR LINE DELINEATIO N AND THE BEGINNING OF FORCE WITHDRAWALS, AND TO UNDER LINE OUR HOPES THAT INDIA AND PAKISTA N WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE POSITIVE PATH DRAWN AT SIMLA . THIS CAN BE DONE BY THE DEPARTMENT'S SPOKESMAN, AN D PERHAPS WILL ALREADY HAVE BEEN DONE BY THE TIME THI S MESSAGE REACHES WASHINGTON . I BELIEVE THAT OUR PLEASUR E AND OUR HOPES CAN MOST EFFECTIVELY BE EXPRESSED TO TH E GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN (AND PRESUMABLY ALSO TO TH E GOVERNM ENT OF INDIA) BY A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT NIXON 2.

DECLASSIFIED PA/HO, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended June 9, 2005

TO PRESIDENT BHUTTO (AND TO MRS . GANDHI) . IF SOME SUC H

MESSAGE IS NOT ALREADY IN THE DRAFTING STAGE, I RECOMMEN D

THAT EARLY ATTENTION BE GIVEN TO THIS SUGGESTION . GD S

SOBER

DECLASSIFIED PA/HO, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended June 9, 2005