June 2, 2003	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1424

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NEW DELHI, June 1: US President George Bush has indicated he would talk to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on the need to end “cross-border terrorism” in India when the two meet later this month, Indian government sources said on Sunday.

A Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency report said “authoritative sources” told this to reporters on board Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s aircraft en route to the French resort Evian to attend the G8 summit.

Gen Musharraf is due to visit the United States later in June.

The assurance was given to Mr Vajpayee when he sat to the left of Mr Bush at a dinner on Saturday night in Saint Petersburg hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the PTI report said.

The sources said Mr Bush agreed with Mr Vajpayee that successful dialogue between India and Pakistan was not possible without an end to “cross-border terrorism” in disputed Kashmir.

It was the first direct contact between Mr Bush and Mr Vajpayee since the Indian premier in April offered a “hand of friendship” to Pakistan, easing 17 months of strained relations.

The PTI report quoted the sources on Mr Vajpayee’s plane saying India was “not yet” convinced by Pakistan’s actions.

The “litmus test” would be for Pakistan to make a “strategic decision” to end “cross-border terrorism”, it said.

It said India wanted an end to the infrastructure of anti-Indian extremists in Pakistani territory, not the closing down of a few “terrorist” camps.—AFP