The Hindu : International / India & World : India, Pakistan agree to sustain dialogue process

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Saturday, Jul 03, 2004

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International - India & World

India, Pakistan agree to sustain dialogue process

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, JULY 2. The External Affairs Minister, K. Natwar Singh, and the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, today agreed to ``continue'' the latest bilateral-dialogue process and even take it ``forward.''

This was indicated by top officials on both sides after the two Ministers met, for the second time in less than two weeks, on the sidelines of the 11th annual meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations' Regional Forum (ARF) in Jakarta. Their first meeting, after the formation of the new Government in New Delhi, took place at Qingdao in China on June 21, on the margins of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue.

Today's meeting followed Pakistan's admission to the ARF as its 24th participant-country. India welcomed Islamabad's entry.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman, Masood Khan, later told The Hindu here over telephone from Jakarta that the two Ministers had indicated to each other that the current ``momentum of dialogue process will be kept up.'' Taking note of the ``successful'' meeting that the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries had recently held, Mr. Kasuri and Mr. Singh looked forward to the possibility of a further diplomatic engagement at their own level ahead of a formal meeting between them in August, Mr. Khan said. When contacted from here, a top Indian official summed up the mood of the exclusive meeting between Mr. Singh and Mr. Kasuri in similar terms.

In brief remarks to journalists in Jakarta, Mr. Singh reportedly said that ``one has to be realistic'' about the India-Pakistan dialogue process and that he would not look at it from the perspective of being ``optimistic or pessimistic.'' At the same media stakeout, Mr. Kasuri underlined that Pakistan possessed the necessary ``political will'' to engage India in this diplomatic endeavour.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, later said, in his capacity as the current ARF Chairman, that the forum, while welcoming Pakistan as a new ``participant,'' took note of Islamabad's ``commitment to help achieve the ARF's key goals and to abide by and respect fully the decisions and statements already made by the ARF.'' Pakistan's entry was facilitated by its undertaking not to raise purely bilateral issues as part of the ARF agenda, the ASEAN Secretary-General, Ong Keng Yong, told this correspondent prior to the latest development.

The Pakistani spokesman, in his comments over phone from Jakarta today, said Mr. Singh was the first leader to welcome Mr. Kasuri after the ARF Chairman formally invited Islamabad to join the forum. Terming Pakistan's accession as a ``positive development for the Asia-Pacific region as a whole,'' Mr. Khan quoted Mr. Kasuri as informing the ARF about Islamabad's ``experience and expertise'' in working for peace and stability.

Summing up the new symphony of positive statements on the India-Pakistan front, Mr. Khan indicated, in response to a question, that their bilateral issues were not raised at today's ARF session. In fact, many members of the ARF welcomed the recent renewal of dialogue between India and Pakistan, he said. Nor was the nuclear issue raised with any particular reference to South Asia, although proliferation questions figured ``in a general manner.''

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