Shri Y B. Chavan : Well, civil aviation also ultimately comes down on the earth! What has happened to you Mr. Samar Guha? You are a great revolutionary; you have become such a pessimist and lost all your idealism. What has happened to you? The main point is this. The old process was going on in a proper way; something happened in between; then our relations with Pakistan were gradually, slowly, may be haltingly, making progress and then at that time this thing happened; And, what a time was chosen by the USA! The United States of American decided to lift the embargo which in their own wisdom they had placed some ten years before. But this is the time they chose to lift the embargo. It could, really speaking, affect both the processes, normalisation process With Pakistan and normalisation of our relations with USA also. Somebody said that we must have our bridges of friendship with all the big powers. ‘ So, this also came in the way.
It is not again - let me make it clear - a question of merely giving a few weapons here or there which will make a change. What is it that we are objecting to? I would like them to understand our objection. What we are objecting to today is the politics behind supplying arms just to create a balance of power. This has been followed by them for the last couple of decades.
I think they have now realized it. There seems to be some sort of a curse of American arms that wherever they go, defeat follows them. It looks like that. One sometimes becomes superstitious. I am not a superstitious person. Some times this is what it looks like. There is an absolute limitation to what arms can do or what the militarists can do. In both Africa and Asia and possibly, in all parts of the world, nationalism is still an important force to be reckoned with and the awakened masses are also to be reckoned with. Their urges and their aspirations have all to be taken into account. This is one thing which these big countries do not take note of. And that, really speaking, is creating problems for themselves and creating problems for the world.