Pakistan, India to resume peace process

COLOMBO: Pakistan and India on Saturday agreed to resume the peace process saying its success was important for both the countries as well as for the entire region. President General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Saturday for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Havana and held over an hour long one-on-one meeting.

Standing along President Musharraf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh read the joint statement in the presence of mediapersons at the Convention Center, which asked the two Foreign Secretaries to meet in New Delhi to resume composite dialogue.

According to the joint statement, "the leaders decided to continue the joint search for mutually acceptable options for a peaceful negotiated settlement of all issues between India and Pakistan including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a sincere and purposeful manner. On the Jammu and Kashmir issue, there have been useful discussions.

There is a need to build on convergences and narrow down divergences," the statement said. The two leaders directed the Foreign Secretaries to meet shortly in New Delhi to continue the Composite Dialogue, states a press release issued by the High Commission of Pakistan.

President Musharraf and Prime Minister Singh met in the aftermath of Mumbai blasts. The leaders strongly condemned all acts of terrorism and agreed that terrorism is a scourge that needs to be effectively dealt with.

They decided to put in place an India-Pakistan anti-terrorism institutional mechanism to identify and implement counter-terrorism initiatives and investigations. President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a cordial, frank and detailed exchange of views on all aspects of India-Pakistan relations.

Desirous of carrying forward the dialogue process, the two leaders reiterated their commitments and determination to implement the joint statements of January 6, 2004; September 24, 2004; April 18, 2005 and September 14, 2005.

According to the joint statements, the two leaders also directed the Foreign Secretaries to meet shortly in New Delhi to continue the Composite Dialogue and arrange consultations for an early solution of the Siachen issue.

It was further directed that experts should meet immediately to agree on coordinates for joint survey of Sir Creek and adjoining area, without prejudice to each others position on the issue. The survey should commence in November 2006.

The experts should start discussions on the Maritime boundary. The two sides will facilitate implementation of agreements and understandings already reached on LoC related CBMs, including bus services, crossing points and truck service, the joint statement said.

President Musharraf renewed his invitation to the Prime Minister of India to visit Pakistan. Thanking President Musharraf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicated that he looked forward to a purposeful visit at a time to be determined through diplomatic channels. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said that his talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Havana were 'successful' and augured well for resolving the problems between India and Pakistan, including Kashmir.

Talking to reporters on arrival in New York, on Saturday, President Musharraf said the joint statement issued after talks was to satisfaction of both sides. He wouldn't call it a victory, but said the peace process had won.

The President said during his one on one meeting, they didn't go into the specific of solutions. "We agreed to narrow down the divergences and strengthen convergences. The road forward is the willingness to discuss and resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute."

He said the talks at foreign secretary-level between Pakistan and India would be held expeditiously. "We haven't fixed the dates but they are going to be held very soon." The President said that Mr. Singh was keen to visit Pakistan at an appropriate time.

The joint statement issued on the conclusion of the meeting between President General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in the Cuban capital Havana on Saturday has been widely welcomed by the international diplomatic community gathered here in the United Nations headquarters since it has addressed the core issue of Kashmir between Pakistan and India in very emphatic manners.

The statement has also provided the restoration of stalled process of composite dialogue of Pakistan and India. The talks were unilaterally suspended by India in July last under the pretext of Mumbai bomb blasts, implicating Pakistan without any evidence.

The hallmark of the statement is reference to Kashmir and reiteration of four joint statements issued by the leaders of the two countries time to time since January 2004 when the peace process was resumed.