Musharraf Calls for Talks With India

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 03, 2002

Musharraf Calls for Talks With India

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Pakistan has done enough to crush terrorism and it is now time for New Delhi and Islamabad to hold talks to ease their military stand-off, Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf told an Indian newspaper.

"We want friendship," he said in an interview published by The Hindu on Monday, adding Pakistan was ready to talk without preconditions but was not getting a positive response from India.

"We have taken so much action in our internal environment to curb extremism," said Musharraf who announced a sweeping crackdown in January to crush Islamic terrorism.

"This was enough reason, much more than enough reason, for any leadership in India to have decided to de-escalate," he said. "I think we should start talking, I think one should be strong enough to say that."

The foes, which have gone to war three times, have been locked in a military stand-off along their border since December following a raid on the Indian parliament. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants fighting its rule in disputed Kashmir.

Pakistan has consistently called for dialogue to settle the stand-off but India has said it will not demobilise its forces until it sees proof that what it calls cross-border terrorism against Indian targets has ceased.

In the wideranging interview in which Musharraf's tone swung from cordial to occasional belligerence, he said the situation in which the nuclear-armed neighbours have a million men massed along both sides of the border remained "extremely explosive".

He said he wanted to resolve all disputes and was ready to discuss all topics, provided the future of the Himalayan region of Kashmir was accepted as the main issue.

"I have said a 100 times that I am prepared to talk on every issue but let us not be naive, let us not bluff ourselves -- Kashmir is the main issue."

India has always insisted that talks be held on a broad range of topics from nuclear security to cultural ties.

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