August 30, 2003	Saturday	Jumadi-us-Sani 30, 1424

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JAMMU, Aug 29: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Friday ruled out talks with Pakistan until there was an end to militant attacks that New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based Kashmiri fighters.

“We would like to have meaningful talks but, if terrorist activities continue, that will not be possible,” Mr Vajpayee told a news conference in occupied Jammu.

He was speaking after twin car bombings in Mumbai which killed 52 people and a spate of attacks in occupied Kashmir.

“The process is slow, but that is the policy. We would like to go step by step,” Vajpayee said.

Mr Vajpayee said he would like to see two-way trade increase.

But peace talks were not possible without a return to normality in occupied Kashmir, hit this week by a spate of attacks that culminated in a gunbattle between militants and Indian forces in Srinagar on Thursday.

The gunbattle coincided with a visit by Mr Vajpayee and other senior government leaders to Srinagar.

“Whatever happened the other day there is an indication that things are not yet normal. And without normalcy, how can there be talks?” the Indian premier said.

Echoing Mr Vajpayee’s comments, Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said during a visit to Australia on Friday that talks would be meaningless unless violence ended.

“By all means, we are interested in friendship with Pakistan,” Mr Sinha said at a news conference in Melbourne.

“But if this violence continues, and this terrorism is promoted as an instrument of state policy, then no sustained and meaningful dialogue will be possible,” he said.

He also accused Pakistan of failing to enforce strictly enough its ban on the Lashkar-i-Taiba.

India did not blame Pakistan directly for the Mumbai blasts, but police said they suspected an outlawed Indian students’ organization, which they accused of acting in collusion with the Lashkar-i-Taiba. Police also blamed the Lashkar for the attacks in the held state.—Reuters