16 February 2005	Wednesday	06 Muharram 1426

LAHORE, Feb 15: Reiterating support for the Pakistan-India process of dialogue to settle bilateral disputes, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Tuesday rejected Pakistan's stance that the issue of Kashmir should be resolved in according with UN resolutions.

Addressing a reception in Gujrat, where he had gone at the request of some people of Pakistani-origin in his constituency back home, he refused to support the Pakistan stance even after one of his Gujrati-origin voters reminded him that the Labour Party was committed to the resolution of Kashmir under the UN resolution.

"I am aware of the UN resolutions and policy commitment of the Labour Party as well," Mr Straw said. In spite of that he added, the present British government felt that Kashmir was essentially a bilateral problem between India and Pakistan, though it had some international ramifications as well. "It must be dealt with bilaterally under the current process of composite dialogue."

"It is largely because the alternative to such process is war which would produce neither resolution nor winners. But it would certainly leave behind thousands of losers," he said.

He claimed that his government was fully committed to a "just resolution of Kashmir problem which takes into feelings of all parties concerned." When Indian and Pakistani forces were moved in the beginning of the century, he said, he himself and US secretary of state Colin Powell had to work hard to convince both sides about the futility of war.

Then began the dialogue process between both countries. Now, when the process had got under way, both countries should stick to it and world support for it would be forthcoming, he said. Earlier, Mr Jack Straw visited a local seminary, Qamarul Alum Jamia Mozamia, where 217 students, including 62 girls, are getting education.