May 28, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 15,1423

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PARIS, May 27: US President George Bush said on Sunday that President Pervez Musharraf must work harder to stop incursions into occupied Kashmir.

“He must perform,” Bush said at a joint press conference with French President Jacques Chirac.

The two met at the Elysee presidential palace for about 90 minutes, sharing what Chirac called “an intense, candid, friendly exchange of views”.

The US president said he was “more concerned that Musharraf show results” in the “fight on terrorism” than with the two missile tests.

Bush earlier expressed “strong reservations” over Pakistan’s tests, but urged India not to see them as a “provocation”.

“Everyone can understand danger in the region,” he said in Saint Petersburg as he wound up a visit to Russia.

“We are hopeful that slowly but surely we can erode the distrust. Any time you have countries with nuclear arms this kind of tension is dangerous. We just have got to continue to work the problem.”

The US president papered over cracks in Washington’s relationship with Paris, hailing France’s cooperation in the “war on terror” and dispelling fears about immediate US plans to bomb Iraq.—Reuters/AFP