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Border dispute to be settled ?

* NZPA Washington The Prime Minister of India (Mr Morarji Desai) has indicated that his Government is prepared to accept China’s seizure of 35,000 sq km of previously Indian territory between 1957 and 1962 and to acknowledge the present boundary formally i at some point in the future, i He said that India’s condi-( tion for according this formal would be] (restoration of friendly relaitions between the two coun!tries, which fought a front-' lier war in 1962. Questioned on television. Mr Desai said of the boundary dispute: “All depends on China, but we are determined not to go to war on. that issue. “We don’t, want to take' back the area which we say they have taken from us by! i force. We don’t take by war. “We have sufficient pa-( tience to see that friendship,!

rif they mean it, is restored Iso that this question is f( favourably solved.” >( Asked whether this could ■I be interpreted to mean rec.iQgnition .of the present I (boundary', he replied: “I (think that when the question 1 (of friendship) is solved then '(that will happen and I think ’(they are also willing to dis-1 (cuss the question now.” | A State Department speIcialist on India said that Mri ■ Desai’s comment appeared to! (break new ground in the

(border dispute. However, ob-( servers familiar with the' (history of the border dispute] and with India’s long(troubled relations with: (China said that the Peking: (Government had been more! active recently in attempting! ( to improve relations than ( '(the Indians. The last reported clash on 1 (the 3750 km border took: (place in October, 1975, when: (four Indian soldiers were! (killed by a Chinese patrol.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19780613.2.67

Bibliographic details

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 8

Word Count
280

Border dispute to be settled ? Press, 13 June 1978, Page 8

Border dispute to be settled ? Press, 13 June 1978, Page 8