Pak Terms Vajpayee's Cease-fire Offer as Half-Step

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar termed Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's offer of extending cease-fire beyond one month as half-step, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported Tuesday, December 5.

According to the report, Sattar said in an interview that it is a welcomed half-step, but it would be far better if instead of just nearly prolonging the suspension, the Prime Minister of India had decided to terminate the military operations once for all.

He said Vajpayee should have also commented on the Pakistani offer of a process leading to a Pakistan-India dialogue for the settlement of the Kashmir question in conformity with the wishes of the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, according to the report.

India Rejects Pakistan's Tripartite Talks Offer

India ruled out tripartite talks involving Pakistan in the peace initiative with militants in Kashmir Tuesday, December 5.

In the first official response to Pakistan's announcement that it would exercise "maximum restraint" along the line of control in Kashmir, a foreign office spokesman said here that New Delhi did not find anything "substantially different" from what Islamabad had said earlier.

The Indian government "hopes that this statement of Pakistan is the precursor of a meaningful change in its attitude," he said, adding "We expect Pakistan to address our concerns and also those of the international community about cross-border terrorism, infiltration into India and adding and abetment of violence."

Pakistan said earlier that it had no objections for talks between Kashmiri militants and India as long as it was followed by a three-way dialogue involving Islamabad.

The Indian spokesman insisted Tuesday that "there is no role of any kind for any third party here" in India concerning talks with Pakistan.

However, he added, the peace process was moving and New Delhi had always conveyed its readiness to have talks with all parties and groups in Kashmir including also the militants.

Dialogue process between India and Pakistan had been derailed following the Kargil conflicts in Kashmir in May last year and has remained suspended ever since.






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