NEW DELHI, Sept 28: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said on Sunday the peace initiative with Pakistan had been damaged by statements made by President Pervez Musharraf at the UN General Assembly.

However, he pledged to keep the peace initiative alive.

“Yes, the peace initiative has suffered a slight setback and greater vigour should be imparted to this process now,” Mr Vajpayee said after returning to New Delhi from a 13-day trip to Turkey, the United States and Switzerland.

“There are problems and these need to be resolved through talks,” he said.

He accused Pakistan on Thursday of engaging in terrorist blackmail in his UN General Assembly speech while slamming an offer by Gen Musharraf to encourage a general cessation of violence in Kashmir.

President Musharraf had proposed on Wednesday a ceasefire along the Line of Control and said Pakistan would be willing to help reduce violence in Kashmir in return for “reciprocal obligations and restraints on Indian forces”.—AFP