Proposed Pak-India Talks to Pave Way for More SummitsIf the leaders from Pakistan and India succeed in making headway in their first, or breakthrough meeting which is expected to be held within next few weeks, the top leadership of the two countries will hold more meetings, diplomatic sources said Monday in Islamabad."The leaders of the two countries may meet in New York in September for the second, while their third meeting is expected to be held in Kathmandu in September," they added. The leaders of Pakistan and India will be New York in connection with the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and will attend the summit meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Kathmandu. According to the sources, a secretary-level dialogue between the two countries would be held in October with an eight-point agenda in Islamabad. "The schedule for the meeting of foreign secretaries will be finalized next month," they maintained. The sources stressed, however, that before the secretary-level talks, the Pakistani government would hold detailed consultations with the leadership of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an organization of the Kashmiri people. "The government of General Pervez Musharraf will also take into confidence all the important political parties in the country on this issue of vital national interest," the sources said. The leaders of Pakistan and India are expected to meet in New Delhi in the next few weeks, as Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee extended his formal invitation last week to Pakistan's Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf for talks in India, which the Pakistani government has responded positively. Political analysts and global media are expressing the hope that the talks between the two countries might defuse tension in the South Asian region. Several countries of the world, including the United States, Russia, China and Iran have already welcomed the recent moves of India and Pakistan. |
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