November 26, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 1, 1424

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NEW DELHI, Nov 25: Latest peace initiatives between India and Pakistan, including a ceasefire along their borders in Kashmir, will be discussed at a summit between Indian and European leaders this weekend, a diplomat said on Tuesday.

“When the issue will be raised, European leaders will stress ... that Europe continues to be in favour of a continuation of a dialogue between India and Pakistan, that the EU considers Kashmir a bilateral issue ... but with international repercussions,” Italian ambassador to India Benedetto Amari said.

The Italian envoy said he expected a “reaffirmation of the appreciation of the EU for the efforts taken by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee ... to bring stability to this part of the world.”

Mr Vajpayee on April 18 extended a “hand of friendship” to Pakistan after 16 months of military standoff sparked by an attack on India’s parliament by gunmen New Delhi claimed were sponsored by Islamabad.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who holds the rotating EU presidency, president of the European Commission Romano Prodi and the EU’s External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten will be attending the fourth India-EU summit on Saturday.

The summit is being carefully choreographed to avoid a repeat of the last one in Copenhagen, when the two sides openly clashed about the then-standoff between India and Pakistan.—AFP