12 January 2004	Monday	19 Ziqa'ad 1424

LONDON, Jan 11: Britain has a great responsibility to help solve the Kashmir issue which can enable Pakistan and India to address wide-spread poverty by slashing their defence expenditures, said British MP Fabian Hamilton here on Sunday.

Talking to APP here at the House of Commons, Hamilton said Kashmir was a British legacy and it should also help find its peaceful solution. But it would ultimately be resolved by Pakistan, India and Kashmiris.

"Of course introduced by the then colonial power Britain but for which the people of Kashmir have suffered ever since. Now that means that Great Britain has a huge responsibility to help resolve the long-running Kashmir issue," said Hamilton who is also member of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

Hamilton praised the statesmanship of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee to recognize the need for peace as they now realized conflict was no solution to their problems.

The latest decision by Pakistan and India for resumption of composite dialogue was a "very positive development" and required the imagination of President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee, he said.

Hamilton brushed aside the impression that Britain was more friendly to New Delhi than Islamabad. "And I know that some people do feel that Britain is more strongly a friend to India than Pakistan. I don't think that is true, by the way and that is a perception that some people have," said Hamilton.

The first priority of the British Government is "to move towards the position where the people affected by the conflict can have the say themselves and tell us what they want".

When questioned how that could be ascertained , Hamilton said, "it has to be independent, carried out by the organizations that every body trust including the people themselves".

He said the "United Nations is the only body, I believe that very strongly and I think we should get themselves involved in it".-APP