24 May 2004	Monday	04 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

NEW DELHI, May 23: The newly sworn in cabinet of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was caught in a battle for portfolios on Sunday, forcing a delay in the important technical-level talks on nuclear confidence building with Pakistan.

A few important portfolios of the cabinet of 67 junior and full-fledged ministers who were sworn in with Dr Singh on Saturday were allocated on Sunday evening.

A meeting of the cabinet under the stewardship of the prime minister however did manage to find a collective voice when the cabinet condemned the killing of 28 people in Kashmir on Sunday.

Most of the victims of the landmine attack belonged to the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) and their families.

The cabinet meeting also decided to convene the newly-elected parliament on June 2, when members would take their oath. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam would deliver a traditional address to the joint sitting of the two houses on June 7, when the new government's foreign and domestic policies would be spelt out.

The Lok Sabha would elect a new Speaker on June 4, widely tipped to be the veteran communist leader Somnath Chatterjee. The newly-elected MPs would discuss the president's address from June 7 to June 9, and the motion of thanks to the president's address is scheduled for passage on June 10.

The Press Trust of India said "pro-Pakistan militants" triggered a landmine explosion near Woodsa on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which left 28 BSF personnel and their family members dead. It said the Hizbul Mujahideen group has claimed responsibility.

This had nothing to do with the delay in the CBM talks that were scheduled from Tuesday. Press Trust of India said the talks scheduled in New Delhi on May 25-26 have been postponed following a request from the new Indian government.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesman confirmed the delay and said it was a "brief postponement". The foreign securities would meet in New Delhi for two days and discuss nuclear and conventional CBMs.

A draft of the common minimum programme of Dr Singh's United Progressive Alliance says it seeks a sustained dialogue with Pakistan to establish peace in the region.