The Hindu : International / India & World : Talks on nuclear CBMs begin

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004

International

International - India & World

Talks on nuclear CBMs begin

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, DEC. 14 . India and Pakistan today began talks on nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs) and exchanged views on measures such as operationalisation of a hotline between the Foreign Secretaries and the draft agreement on advance notification of missile tests.

The two-day talks are part of the composite dialogue. They would give important inputs to the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled for December 27 and 28. During the second round of the composite dialogue, the Foreign Secretaries would hold deliberations on CBMs on security and Jammu and Kashmir.

At tomorrow's meeting both sides would exchange notes on CBMs related to conventional weapons. Since it is for the first time both sides are sitting across the table to discuss the subject, the meeting is expected to be exploratory in nature.

The Indian delegation at today's talks was headed by the Additional Secretary (International Organisations) in the External Affairs Ministry, Meera Shankar. Tariq Osman Hyder, Additional Secretary in the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, led his country's delegation.

According to officials, the focus of today's talks was on the two agreements reached in the earlier talks. The draft agreement on advance notification of missile tests came up for scrutiny and indications are that it would be finalised when the Foreign Secretaries meet. Both countries now follow the practice of informing each other in advance of missile tests and the idea of an agreement to formalise the arrangement with introduction of a timeframe.

Both sides have agreed on establishing a hotline at the level of Foreign Secretaries to take up any crisis situation on nuclear-related matters.

A formal statement on the two-day talks is expected at the end of the deliberations.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News Update

Stories in this Section

Another assault on Green Zone

French bridge is an engineering feat

Islamists kill four in Russia

It's a witch-hunt: Kojo Annan

Suicide attack

`Aznar regime lied on Madrid blasts'

Saddam aides' trial next week

Turkey not for second-class status

Arab religious heads mull HIV fight

McCain has no confidence in Rumsfeld

A flashy car for Swazi king

Talks on nuclear CBMs begin

Joint survey of boundary pillars in Sir Creek planned