The Hindu : They had agreed on what they would say

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Wednesday, Jan 07, 2004

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They had agreed on what they would say

By Our Islamabad Bureau

ISLAMABAD JAN.6. "He'll tell you more or less the same thing," the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, said about a press conference to be addressed by his Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, on the joint press statement issued today.

Mr. Sinha was correct but it was not really a "prediction" since the "how" of dealing with the media had already been agreed to by the two countries.

Initially, there was a suggestion that Mr. Sinha and Mr. Kasuri address the press together, but "he [the Pakistani Minister] suggested that I meet you first."

The mood today was upbeat; in sharp contrast to the problems created by a premature statement issued on the "joint statement" by the Pakistani Information Minister, Sheikh Rasheed, yesterday. In fact, Mr. Sinha was relaxed today as he addressed the press along with the National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra, at the Holiday Inn Hotel.

Mr. Kasuri, who addressed the press at the same hotel but in a different venue a short while later, also made it a point to mention that Mr. Sinha had already spoken to the press on the joint press statement.

But since nothing in India-Pakistan relations must be left open to misunderstanding, Mr. Kasuri read out the joint press statement just as his Indian colleague did while saying it was not really necessary.

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