March, 24 2005	Thursday	13 Safar 1426

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NEW DELHI, March 23: India’s Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran says both India and Pakistan will have to work for creating a middle ground through various confidence-building measures (CBMs) and enlargement of the constituency for peace to settle the simmering Kashmir dispute. “We need to overcome the existing mistrust between the two nations, to bridge what your President (Gen Pervez) Musharraf calls as the trust deficit. The (Kashmir) issue has defied solution for many years. The greater the trust, the greater the chances of solving the issue,” said while speaking to a group of visiting Pakistani journalists.

He said an effort to find a solution to the Kashmir problem was being made. However, he said both the countries had their clear viewpoint, which necessitated the creation of a middle ground to reach some kind of mutual understanding for the resolution of the dispute.

“We want to tackle the issue to the satisfaction of India and Pakistan,” he said in a reference to the pressure of public opinion in both the countries forcing the two governments to stick to their stated positions. “No solution to the problem is possible unless we reach a mutual understanding on it.”

“The people of Kashmir are very much a part and parcel of India’s public opinion,” he claimed when a questioner alluded to the omission by him of any reference to aspirations of the Kashmir people. He also told a questioner that India was not considering any option for settling the Kashmir dispute whatsoever at this juncture. “Let our leaders engage in a dialogue and find a solution to the problem,” he said.

He also underlined the need for continuing the peace talks like civilized nations for dealing with all the issues.