NEW DELHI, June 26: Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha on Thursday rejected President Pervez Musharraf’s proposal for a US-sponsored roadmap to resolve the Kashmir dispute, as Washington’s proposals on Palestine, saying there was no place for third-party mediation.
“We have repeatedly said there is no third party role in the bilateral dialogue..... There is no space for a third party at the table,” Mr Sinha told NDTV 24x7 news channel in Shanghai.
In a separate interview, he said: “We have already stated time and again that there is no question of third party involvement in India-Pakistan affairs...the two countries will have to solve their problems bilaterally.”
Mr Sinha also stated New Delhi’s position on two crucial issues relating to ties with China.
Asked if India and China still see each other as rivals for control in the region, Mr Sinha said: “I don’t think so. It’s a healthy competition as between any two nations”.
He said the two countries should move ahead in their bilateral relations and a lot of issues would be sorted out along the way.
On the outcome of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ongoing visit to China, Sinha said the “biggest gain” has been establishment of the prime minister’s rapport with the new Chinese leadership, laying the foundation for a close bilateral relationship and defining of areas and format through which the ties would be taken forward.
