04 August 2004	Wednesday	17 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

SRINAGAR, Aug 3: A moderate Kashmiri leader said on Tuesday he had failed in an attempt to unite warring factions, a setback in efforts to bring a united Kashmiri group to the negotiating table with India.

"We tried our best in our efforts to forge unity among the two Hurriyat factions, but we failed," senior leader Mohammad Yasin Malik told a news conference here on Tuesday.

Kashmir's main alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, split last year between moderates and hardliners. The Hurriyat hardliners are opposed to direct talks with the Indian government that do not include Pakistan.

Mr Malik, chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and other senior leaders including Shabir Shah last set up group which aimed to reunite the Hurriyat's warring factions. "I apologize (for the lack of unity) to the war-torn people of Kashmir who have offered great sacrifices for freedom," Mr Malik said. -Reuters