March 9, 2002	Saturday	Zilhaj 24, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, March 8: Indian Information Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said all issues, including the current tension, could only be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan.

“Whenever the solution (to all issues) will be found, it will be bilateral, howsoever long it may take - both our countries will resolve it bilaterally,” she said in PTV News Night.

She opposed third party mediation on issues between the two countries and viewed that Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration precluded the option.

Responding to a question, she said Kashmir and terrorism were separate things. “Bilateral issues will be resolved bilaterally,” she said.

Asked what could be the remedy when the two countries could not find resolution of an issue, she insisted that the past governments had decided to resolve outstanding issues bilaterally.

When pointed out by the compere that the bilateral issues were hindering the regional cooperation, as was evident from the twice postponement of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit on New Delhi’s insistence in the recent past, she said: “What happened before will not be repeated in the context of Saarc.”

However, she agreed that in the last few years Saarc forum could not be utilized to its potential.

Responding to a question, she said the Saarc charter did not provide for discussion on bilateral issues. “If it comes to bilateral issues then the Saarc charter will have to be changed,” she said.—APP