International

Pakistan, India to hold talks on Feb. 25

ISLAMABAD, February 13 (Reuters) - The top diplomats of nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India will meet for talks in New Delhi on Feb. 25, the Pakistani prime minister's office said.

India suspended a four-year-old peace process with Pakistan after an attack on the Indian city of Mumbai by Pakistan-based Islamist militants in 2008.

India had been demanding action against the militants it says were behind the assault before the peace process could resume, but this month offered to hold high-level talks despite little progress in Pakistan's prosecution of seven suspects.

Analysts said while no breakthrough on core disputes was likely in the short-term, the renewed engagement between the two sides after more than a year was a good sign.

Investment into India has continued apace despite the tensions between the two countries since Mumbai, and so signs of a detente are unlikely to boost markets. But a slide into conflict would deal a body blow to both economies.

Indian officials say they offered Pakistan open-ended talks on all issues affecting peace and security, emphasising counter-terrorism.

But Pakistan has been pushing for the resumption of the full peace process, which centred on a so-called composite dialogue, covering all problems, including their decades old dispute over the divided Kashmir region.

The two countries' top foreign ministry officials, their foreign secretaries, would meet in New Delhi on Feb. 25, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said in a statement. “(The) Pakistan side should raise all the core issues and impress upon India the need for the expeditious resolution through resumption of composite dialogue,” it said.

“The prime minister directed the foreign secretary ... that his talks with his Indian counterpart should be result-oriented and meaningful,” it said.

The United States has also been urging the two countries to resume engagement to help stabilise the region, especially Afghanistan, where the neighbours have been competing for influence.

Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
 
Other International Articles
US says Dalai Lama meeting will go ahead
Valentine valour defies Taliban
Pakistan, India to hold talks on Feb. 25
Shah Rukh calls for peace over cricket row
US lecturer kills three, wounds three
US launches major offensive on Taliban in southern Afghanistan
Turbulent times ahead in Year of Tiger: Soothsayers
Ancient drug a sweet cure for broken hearts
Breaking up is hard to do, so pay someone else
EU’s global clout waning: Turkey to the rescue
Forgiveness for Haiti? The West should be begging theirs
After Haiti, Nepal braces for big quake

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2010 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution