ISLAMABAD, May 17: Foreign Office spokesman Masood A. Khan said on Monday that Pakistan regarded as 'very positive' the statements of Ms Sonia Gandhi on the Pakistan-India dialogue initiated by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

However, he conceded, the fault line between the two neighbouring countries had not changed. The spokesman said the fact was that Kashmir was an issue which needed a durable and peaceful resolution. It should be resolved through negotiations.

He said Pakistan and India needed to build confidence which would enable them to effectively handle crises among them and demonstrate responsible stewardship of nuclear capabilities and habits. He was asked to comment how the two sides faced against the backdrop of newly-acquired nuclear capabilities.

Asked for comments on Ms Gandhi's statements since her dramatic victory last week, the spokesman said: "We welcome Ms Sonia Gandhi's statements relating to India-Pakistan peace process" which has been overtaken by the spectacular results in the national polls. Apart from Ms Sonia, the spokesman found several other statements by the new ruling party to be positive.

Mr Khan said Pakistan also wanted to push ahead the peace process and pointed out that there were problems between the two countries which needed to be resolved through negotiations and dialogue as war could not be an option.

"As far as we are concerned, we want to continue with the peace process; we want to engage India on the whole range of problems and issues." The spokesman said Pakistan was ready to go along on the comprehensive calendar of activities as chalked out by the two foreign secretaries on Feb 18.

Pakistan had made preparations under the agreed schedule of activities under a calendar and the delegation was due to leave for Delhi talks on May 24.

Mr Khan denied that a meeting here on Sunday between US Under-Secretary Kenneth Juster and Pakistani officials was something sudden and unexpected and claimed that this was a planned meeting mainly concerning the ministry of commerce on 'export control' and some general exchange of views, but he asserted the Dr A.Q. Khan issue was not discussed.

PLEDGE WELCOMED: Mr Kasuri welcomed a pledge by India's prime minister-elect Sonia Gandhi to continue a peace process with Islamabad and said it was ready to resume talks with its neighbor soon, adds Reuters from New York.

But, he said the process should not begin anew when Gandhi's government is sworn in on Wednesday. "So much hard work has already been done and I think the best thing is not to reinvent the wheel," Kasuri told reporters after chairing a UN Security Council meeting on peacekeeping.

"The fact that people on both sides want peace, wish peace, should help the two governments go forward with the process," Mr Kasuri said.