PARIS, July 5: French authorities appear to be attaching some importance to the visit to Paris next week of Indian national security adviser Brajesh Mishra in a bid to push for a solution to the conflict in Kashmir.

It was apparently President Pervez Musharraf who broached the idea of Mr Chirac becoming involved in a possible resolution of the dispute with India, on the Pakistani head of state telling journalists last Wednesday, upon leaving the Elysee Palace that he had “asked the French leader to convey his position on the issue to Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra due in Paris next week.”

Gen Musharraf was said to have “highlighted the importance of the resolution of the Kashmir dispute for the bringing about of a lasting peace in South Asia” and that “Pakistan stood for peace in the region,” adding that “determination and sincerity were needed to address the Kashmir issue.”

According to the French head of state’s diplomatic adviser, “Mr Chirac could not have asked for less of a golden opportunity to be able to try his hand again as an international peacemaker, as he has been attempting in recent months with Iraq (notably through the UN Security Council) and notably with the Middle East.