Home>News Center>World
         
 

India, Pakistan begin Kashmir talks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-02-17 10:07

India and Pakistan held their first peace talks in 2 1/2 years Monday, praising a "new momentum" and working on a timetable to resolve decades of conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors over Kashmir, terrorism and other issues.

As the two countries back down from the brink of their fourth war in 2002, the three-day talks are to lay the groundwork for ending a half-century of tension since their 1947 partition.

"There is realization in India and Pakistan that war is not an option, that you have to look at ways to find a peaceful resolution of the outstanding disputes between the two countries," Pakistani spokesman Masood Khan said after a meeting between Foreign Ministry officials of the two countries.

"There's new momentum; this momentum must be maintained," he said.

The two sides discussed dates for future talks, and a formal timetable was expected to be decided over the next two days. The talks include discussions on eight issues, including Kashmir, confidence-building measures in the nuclear field, terrorism and drugs, economic cooperation and a river dispute.

"I am quite optimistic over the outcome of this round of talks," Yashwant Sinha, the Indian foreign minister, said in New Delhi.

The rapprochement was started by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who agreed to resume the dialogue last month. A July 2001 summit in Agra, India failed to make any progress.

Jalil Abbas Jilani, a director-general in Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, and Arun Kumar Singh, a joint secretary in India's External Affairs Ministry, shook hands and smiled before the start of the Monday meeting. The talks run through Wednesday, culminating in a face-to-face between the countries' foreign secretaries.

The talks represent the first real test of flexibility on long-entrenched positions, such as the disputed Kashmir region — the cause of two of the countries' three wars since their 1947 independence from Britain.

A cease-fire line divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, but both claim the territory in its entirety. More than 65,000 people have been killed in an insurgency that has raged in Indian-controlled portions of the territory since 1989.

The agenda for resolving decades of enmity was first agreed to in 1997 but failed to make any headway.

"Since a lot of work has already been done in the past years, it will not be difficult for us to reach a conclusion," Sinha said.

In January, Vajpayee agreed to discuss Kashmir while Musharraf promised not to support terrorism in Pakistani territory directed against India. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming Islamic guerrillas fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan, a charge Pakistan denies.

Early this month, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said Pakistan's government has taken effective measures against Islamic militant groups based in Pakistan, leading to a decline in incursions into Indian-controlled Kashmir.

In the latest violence, suspected rebels shot and killed a local politician Monday as he stood on a roadside in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state, police said.

Two police officers nearby raced to the scene and opened fire on the assailants. One officer was killed and the other wounded as the attackers retaliated before escaping.

Meanwhile, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, more than 500 people Monday from a political group seeking Kashmir's independence blocked a main street for nearly two hours to protest the Pakistan-India talks.

"These negotiations are being held to end the Kashmiris' struggle," said Ghulam Nabi War, a Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front leader. "The two countries are not interested in people of Kashmir. They don't respect their wishes."

After coming close to fighting a fourth war in 2002, India and Pakistan have moved to restore transportation links and diplomatic ties. Soldiers in November halted cross-border firing in Kashmir.

India is also set to embark on its first cricket tour of Pakistan since 1989 — a breakthrough for the two cricket-crazy nations.

With Indian elections due in April, no major decisions are expected by Vajpayee's government during this round of talks. However, Vajpayee is expected to stay in power and pursue the peace process.

 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Bank of China floating huge bond offering

 

   
 

Moscow police stop raiding Chinese stalls

 

   
 

Chinese diplomats in Iraq to reopen embassy

 

   
 

Trade surplus to fall this year

 

   
 

First bird flu reported in northeast China

 

   
 

Sony sings tough song in copyright row

 

   
  India, Pakistan begin Kashmir talks
   
  Haiti rebels kill police chief, officers
   
  Australian teen's death sparks riots
   
  Bremer hints he may bar Iraqi Islamic law
   
  Iraq may be slipping into civil war
   
  US: Libya has set an example for DPRK to see
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Time line: Conflict over Kashmir
   
India, Pakistan restart talks after 2-year gap
   
Indian, Kashmiri leaders hold talks
  News Talk  
  The evil root of all instability in the world today  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 99久久久国产精品免费牛牛四川 | 天天综合天天做| 久久亚洲精品国产亚洲老地址| 欧美在线视频一区在线观看| 伊人天堂av无码av日韩av| 精品少妇人妻AV免费久久洗澡| 国产亚AV手机在线观看| 黑人巨鞭大战欧美肥妇| 日韩精品无码中文字幕一区二区| 亚洲欧美成人在线| 特级做a爰片毛片免费看| 内射白浆一区二区在线观看| 羞羞视频在线免费观看| 国产乱妇无码大片在线观看| 高潮毛片无遮挡高清免费| 国产欧美日韩另类精彩视频| 相泽亚洲一区中文字幕| 国产精品福利片免费看| 中文字幕在线视频精品| 日韩a级无码免费视频| 亚洲欧洲一区二区三区| 秋葵视频在线观看在线下载| 午夜高清免费在线观看| 老八吃屎奥利给原视频带声音的 | 日韩精品一区二区三区毛片| 亚洲人成亚洲人成在线观看| 欧美成人看片黄a免费看| 亚洲欧美电影一区二区| 残虐极限扩宫俱乐部| 亚洲高清毛片一区二区| 男女生差差差很痛的app| 全免费a级毛片免费看| 精品国产欧美一区二区| 午夜影放免费观看| 精品无码成人片一区二区98| 午夜视频在线观看视频| 美女把屁屁扒开让男人玩| 四虎国产永久在线观看| 美女高潮黄又色高清视频免费| 国产一卡2卡3卡4卡公司在线 | 亚洲精品欧美精品日韩精品|