The Hindu : National : Jethmalani meets Geelani

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Friday, Jun 11, 2004

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National

Jethmalani meets Geelani

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JUNE 10. The Kashmir Committee chairman, Ram Jethmalani, has apparently failed to woo the senior separatist leader and chairman of a faction of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani, to join the ongoing talks between New Delhi and Kashmir leaders.

Mr. Jethmalani, who flew in a chartered aircraft here on Tuesday to convey his condolences to the former Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on the passing away of his uncle Moulvi Mushtaq, met a number of leaders involved in the peace process.

Accompanied by the former Union Minister and senior lawyer, Shanti Bhushan and Ashok Bhan, he visited Mr. Geelani's residence at Hyderpora and held an hour-long meeting with him. Sources said he offered a number of solutions to broaden the dialogue with the separatists. He reportedly suggested a phased plebiscite in Kashmir as also a comprehensive economic package. Mr. Jethmalani told the senior leader that the new Government at the Centre was keen on going ahead with the talks and finding an amicable solution to the problem.

Even as Mr. Geelani received him warmly, he turned down Mr. Jethmalani's "limited offer" and reiterated that talks were not possible unless a conducive atmosphere was generated by sending the security forces to the barracks. "It is not possible to convince the Mujahideen to announce a ceasefire unless the ground is clear for that," he is reported to have told Mr. Jethmalani who initiated talks with the separatists at the non-official level two years ago.

When contacted, Mr. Geelani said: "I had no confusion in my mind while putting forth my point of view with the utmost confidence and clarity of thought."

He confirmed that Mr. Jethmalani sought cooperation for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. "It is a flawed proposition for they seek to convince us over economic packages and internal autonomy while we seek the right of self-determination," he added.

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