Miliband says his language wasn't diplomatic enough

London, Feb 22 (PTI) British Foreign Secretary David
Miliband, who sparked a diplomatic row with India over his
remarks on Kashmir issue, has said some times his language was
not "diplomatic enough" and that he was still learning every
day in this job.

"Look, you learn every day in this job... you've got
to try and take that forward. I know words matter in
diplomacy," Miliband told the 'New Statesman'.

At the same time, Miliband insisted that he was simply
articulating the British Government's stand because he did not
believe in saying "one thing in private and another in
public".

"I'm here on this trip, to show solidarity with
India (following the terrorists attacks on Mumbai last
November)," he told in an interview while he was in India.

Miliband triggered a diplomatic row when he wrote in
'The Guardian' during his recent visit to India that the
"resolution of the dispute over Kashmir would help deny
extremists in the region one of their main calls to arms..."

He was also criticised in the media for not showing
enough "deference" to External Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He had addressed them by their first names, it was
reported, while they referred to him in return as "Your
Excellency" or "Mr Miliband".

In his article, interviewer Jason Cowley, wrote: "As I
discovered, Miliband had been briefed rigorously. He held
India's senior politicians in the highest respect.

"What a fantastic country this is, isn't it,"
Miliband said.

"All these Indian leaders have PhDs," Miliband
continued, tossing a cricket ball from hand to hand and
picking at its seam.

"What they've achieved here is just fantastic. But
there's such deep anguish about the attacks - such anguish,
anguish, anguish." PTI HSR
RKM
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