Diplomacy: First Date

Gandhi and Zia talk peace

There were no national anthems, no 21-gun salutes. Nonetheless, last week as Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi strode onto the tarmac at New Delhi airport to greet Pakistani President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq last week, the occasion was momentous. Since the partitioning of Pakistan from India 35 years ago, relations between the Asian subcontinent's two major powers have been soured by three wars, border clashes and a legacy of bitterness and suspicion. Remarked a senior Indian official: "This is a historic moment."

Especially momentous was the subject of the meeting. After the airport welcome, Zia and Gandhi sat down in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the palatial presidential home, to talk about patching up their longstanding differences. They agreed to have their foreign ministers meet next month to plan a joint commission that would promote trade, cultural exchange, communications and travel between the two countries. The commission would also try to accelerate the 14-month-old talks, being held at and below the foreign ministers' level, on the no-war pact that Pakistan has proposed. While denying aggressive intentions, the two countries are on the threshold of a fierce arms race. India has ordered 40 of France's most advanced jet fighter, the Mirage 2000; Pakistan is about to receive the same number of F-16s from the U.S.

Though Zia and Gandhi carefully steered clear of such thorny topics as the India-Pakistan territorial dispute over Kashmir and the Soviet invasion of nearby Afghanistan, both leaders seemed politely pleased with the talks. Gandhi called them "cordial." Zia pronounced them "excellent." Not exactly torrid reviews. But given the decades of cold enmity between the two countries, any hint of warmth is historic.