RIYADH, April 18: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has welcomed the statement of the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, saying it has been Pakistan’s stated desire for long to resolve all the disputes between India and Pakistan through negotiations.

In an exclusive discussion with Dawn on the issue in Riyadh, Mr Kasuri said, in view of the very shrill statements from the Indian leadership in the recent weeks, he was “pleasantly surprised” by Mr Vajpayee’s statement. He added that though there was nothing very substantial in the statement, yet the tone of the statement was different and fresh. He added Pakistan and India needed to have composite dialogue so as to initiate a process of normalization of relations between the two states.

He said that Pakistan, however, would approach the matter in a positive spirit if Mr Vajpayee wished to start a dialogue.

Mr Kasuri concluded by saying that it was better late than never and that Prime Minister Vajpayee will find in Pakistan a party totally committed to resolving all outstanding disputes between the two countries so that the general political temperature in the region could be brought down and the two countries could concentrate on the economic development.