Accord augurs well for future ties: Musharraf

UNITED STATES: President Pervez Musharraf has declared that the Joint Statement issued after his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Havana on Saturday was a victory for both sides and would augur well for the future of Indo-Pakistan relations.

Talking to the Pakistani media minutes after his arrival in New York, the president cautioned against claims of victory by any one side, saying it could create problems for the other side and derail the peace process.

Referring to his meeting with the Indian prime minister, he said it was "successful" and added: "I think peace process is the winner".

Asked if any specific proposals were discussed on Kashmir, he said: "We did not go into the specifics of solutions but we did say that we need to narrow down divergences and facilitate or increase the convergence."

In this context, he pointed to the willingness on both sides to discuss and resolve all bilateral disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir.

"The realisation of narrowing down differences and strengthening of convergences is the way forward. It sets a direction forward," he noted and added: "But we didn't discuss the modalities of a solution."On the timeframe for foreign secretaries-level talks between Pakistan and India, he said: "They are to be held very expeditiously. We haven't fixed the dates but they will be held very soon."

To another question regarding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Pakistan, the president said: "I have again invited him and he is keen on visiting Pakistan and we both are very keen that the visit should be substantive."

New York, Monday, The Dawn