LONDON, May 16: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri on Friday briefed his counterparts in Germany, Italy and Canada on the peace initiative for resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India.

Mr Kasuri spoke to the German Vice Chancellor and the Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Friday during his brief stay in London on his way back to Islamabad.

He held telephonic talks with his Canadian counterpart during his stay in New York and briefed him and other members countries on eve of the G-8 conference.

Mr Kasuri flew in here early Friday from the US for a brief stopover after attending the session of the UN Security Council and meetings with the officials of the United States administration as well as leaders of the US Congress.

“He explained to the Foreign Ministers of Germany, Italy and Canada the background of the recent initiative of the government of Pakistan to resume dialogue with India,” a press release, issued by Pakistan’s High Commission here on Friday.

Recalling that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had been calling for resumption of dialogue between the two countries for the past year and a half, the press release quoted Mr Kasuri as saying that Pakistan welcomed Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s offer for resumption of dialogue, adding that Pakistan “is seriously interested in initiating a process of a composite and sustained dialogue, which should address outstanding issues between the two countries, including Kashmir.”

It said that German, Italian and Canadian foreign ministers “expressed their satisfaction at the prospect of initiation of dialogue in South Asia.”—APP