‘India ready for Kashmir talks, but not in public’
KARACHI, Oct 13: India is ready to discuss all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan, but not publicly, Prime Minister Manmohan has told a Finnish magazine, stressing that there will be no talks on altering the disputed state’s borders.
According to a report in the Times of India, Mr Singh was asked about President Pervez Musharraf’s proposal that the Kashmir problem could be resolved by giving special autonomy to its people. He said: “I would not like to discuss this issue in public with Musharraf. We are prepared to discuss all issues pertaining to relations between India and Pakistan, including the Jammu and Kashmir issue.
“I have said on many occasions that we cannot discuss moving borders. We have to create a situation in which it is irrelevant on which side of the border the inhabitants of the area live, because goods as well as people can move freely. That is the job of the two governments, and it is the only alternative.”
The Indian prime minister also told the magazine that he was satisfied with his meeting with Gen Musharraf in Havana.
“We agreed on common procedures to uproot terrorism. I hope Pakistan will seriously work with us on this issue.
“The current constructive dialogue is based on Musharraf’s commitment made in January 2004 to guarantee that Pakistan will not allow any kind of terrorist activities in its territory.”
Reuters adds from Helsinki: Meanwhile, Mr Singh and European Union leaders in their talks at Helsinki agreed on Friday to boost cooperation in fighting terrorism, particularly by focusing on improving the flow of intelligence.
The Indian prime minister said exchange of information would add to wider international cooperation, such as work for a UN convention against terrorism.
“The recent bombings in Mumbai as well as the earlier bombings in London, Madrid and Srinagar remind us that terrorism remains the most serious threat to democratic, open and pluralistic countries,” he told a news conference in Finland.
“ ... At the bilateral level we have also agreed to exchange information, exchange intelligence and other related matters between EU and India,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said there was room for improvement in sharing information between the 25-nation bloc and India to help counter terrorism.
“We are beginning to think about how to exchange, in a much more efficient manner, intelligence,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.
Asked about the role of Pakistan in efforts to combat terrorism, Mr Solana said all countries needed to work harder.
