Don t mess with Gujarat, India tells foreign missions

Hindustan Times ^ | 4/22/02

[swarthyguy]

India will lodge official complaints with the governments of countries whose missions here have been leaking to the local Press selective contents of their diplomatic telegrams on the Gujarat riots. "Gujarat is our domestic issue and no country should use the media to pander to domestic lobbies back home," Nirupama Rao, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said. "While diplomats of foreign missions are free to write their reports based on their impressions, the practice of leaking is not acceptable," she said.

While Britain has tactfully avoided confirming reports based on a leak of its telegram on Gujarat meant for its foreign office in London, the delegation of the European Union has denied the contents of a "report" attributed to it in a national daily on Monday. A spokesman said: "The contents of the newspaper report is solely the responsibility of its author."

Rao did not elaborate on what she meant by "domestic lobbies" being pandered by these governments. However, sources said the Blair Government had used the leak to placate its Asian-origin constituents of its interest in the welfare of people of a particular community.

South Block was particularly peeved by the interview given by the Finnish Foreign Minister, Erkki Tjomioja, who, in an interview to a paper on Saturday, expressed concern at the developments in Gujarat. He enjoined the official EU view and disclosed that he had personally asked External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh about it.

Government sources said the Vajpayee Government has been stung by international criticism for its handling of the Gujarat problem. It has instructed the MEA to keep daily contact with the Gujarat Government so that its point of view gets better representation in the international media.

[swarthyguy]

Unfortunately the failure of the Gujarat Police to effectively deal with the riots is now causing the Europeans to step in because"sources said the Blair Government had used the leak to placate its Asian-origin constituents of its interest in the welfare of people of a particular community."
Now which group of Asians might that be?