Musharraf Meets Indian Editors, Stresses Focus on Kashmir

Visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who is here for a two-day landmark summit meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee since Sunday, reiterated on Monday the Pakistani stand that Kashmir should be the focus of the India-Pakistan talks.

According to breaking news on the Star News channel aired on Monday morning, the President repeated the stand of Islamabad on Kashmir during a breakfast meeting with a selected group of Indian newspaper and television editors here on Monday.

Pakistan had clearly stated its stand on Kashmir on many occasions in the run-up to the summit, but India had responded that Kashmir was only part of the dialogue to be held between the two neighbors.

Talking about both countries' efforts to improve bilateral relations, Musharraf said that with the holding of the summit, step one has already been taken, while step two might be taken on Monday.

This might be a reference to a post-summit joint statement by both sides, which, according to Indian media reports, is very likely to be issued here later on Monday.

Due to major divergence in the original drafts of the statements prepared by both sides, foreign secretaries of both governments had worked overnight on a mutually acceptable statement text, said these reports.

To help remove differences, Musharraf and Vajpayee, who had already held two rounds of talks which lasted about four hours on Sunday, began another round of one-to-one talks from 10 a.m. on Monday, said the Star News report.

The talks on Sunday were described by both sides in a brief statement as very cordial, frank and constructive. And Indian information and broadcasting minister Swaraj was quoted by a TV channel as saying that the two sides had discussed a wide range of issues including trade and nuclear.

However, an overnight statement by a Pakistani government spokesperson on Sunday pointed out that Kashmir had been the focus of discussion in 90 minutes of one-on-one meeting between Vajpayee and Musharraf. He added that no other issue could be addressed unless the core issue was discussed and resolved. Progress on Kashmir had to be in tandem with progress on other issues, he emphasized.






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