The Hindu : National : Delhi confirms Tariq Aziz's visit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005

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National

Delhi confirms Tariq Aziz's visit

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI, JAN. 11. For the first time in recent years, the Government today confirmed that a "back channel" visitor, Tariq Aziz, Secretary of Pakistan's National Security Council, had come to New Delhi.

Mr. Aziz, a confidant of the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, was here to express condolences to the Government on the passing away of the National Security Adviser, J.N. Dixit, his Indian counterpart in the "back channel."

The External Affairs Ministry spokesman said today that Mr. Aziz had called on the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh. He also met Dixit's wife, Annapurna.

Asked if there was any discussion on fresh dates for the postponed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, he said he did not have any further details of what transpired.

To questions on the Baglihar dam dispute with Pakistan, the spokesman reiterated that it was a run-of-the-river scheme and conformed to the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.

According to him , there had been some convergence of views following detailed technical discussions between India and Pakistan at the level of Water Resources' Secretaries.

New Delhi, he maintained, was ready for further technical discussions.

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