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Sunday, December 06, 2009, Zil`Hajj 18, 1430

 
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India rejects back channel diplomacy
Qureshi, Krishna agree to continue dialogue

New York—Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers met here Sunday to discuss bilateral relations, which were derailed in the wake of November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Both Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart SM Krishna smiled as they shook hands at the start of the meeting. “I am shaking hand and I’m shaking it very firmly,” the top Pakistani diplomat said.
India’s Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna addressing a press conference after the talks said both the countries agreed to continue the purposeful negotiations, adding India was intent upon making the bilateral ties meaningful.
He said India would monitor the action taken by Pakistan against culprits involved in Mumbai Attacks, adding the elements involved in the incidents were present in Pakistan.
The extremists present in Pakistan posed a threat to India, he maintained saying, ‘We have apprised Pak FM of the terror groups present in Pakistan and he assured us that they would not allow their soil to be used against India and that strict action would be taken against Mumbai attacks culprits.’
Balochistan issue was not discussed in the meeting, he said.
Krishna said there were front channels open for diplomacy between the two countries; accordingly, back channel diplomacy was no more needed.
‘India is against the nuclear proliferation and favours clearing the world of all nuclear arms,’ Krishna said adding India was not a signatory of NPT; but it signed an agreement of civil nuclear technology with the US.
The foreign Ministers’ meeting was preceded by a meeting between the Foreign Secretaries of the two South Asian countries on Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Pakistani High Commissioner to New Delhi, Shahid Malik and senior diplomats assisted Foreign Minister Shah while Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the United Nations Hardeep Singhpuri were part of the Indian side.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Sunday said India had no option but to hold negotiations with Pakistan as people of both the countries wanted peace and tranquillity in the region. Talking to a private TV channel he said, Pakistan wanted better relations with India. There should be stability and prosperity in the region. Both India-Pakistan were virtually left behind in the race to progress.
Both the countries should devise a joint strategy to tackle the menace of poverty in the South Asian region, he said.
Responding to a query he said Pakistan was not involved in any kind of terrorism; rather it was a victim of terrorism and indulged in a deadly fight to eliminate the menace from the entire region.
Ahead of the talks, Qureshi said Pakistan was contemplating appointment of veteran diplomat and former foreign secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan as its special envoy on Indian affairs amid reports that Islamabad was mulling back-channel diplomacy.
“Yes, we are considering very senior former diplomat, former foreign secretary - a gentleman called Riaz Mohammed Khan,” Qureshi said, referring to reports that Pakistan was to name a special envoy for informal talks with India.
Earlier, Bashir told a TV channel: “We will certainly not hesitate from taking action (against Saeed), but we got to have a case which is legally tenable because if we take a case into court which is a half-baked case and if the court sets him free, you’ll say ‘collusion’, ‘drama’.”
“No we are not in a mood to collude with terrorists,” he added.
But Krishna, who had an informal chat with Qureshi at a working dinner of the SAARC foreign ministers here Saturday night, before Sunday’s encounter made it clear the Mumbai attacks would be the “focal point” of their talks.—Agencies

 

 

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