The Hindu : Front Page : Natwar hopes to boost India-Pakistan ties

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005

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Front Page

Natwar hopes to boost India-Pakistan ties

By Amit Baruah

ISLAMABAD, FEB. 15. The External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, said today that he intended to use his three-day visit to Pakistan to provide further impetus to the India-Pakistan rapprochement process.

Speaking at the airport here soon after arrival, Mr. Singh, however, stressed that the dialogue process could be sustained only in an atmosphere free from terrorism and violence in the framework of the January 6, 2004 agreement.

``We are looking at additional transportation links between us,'' Mr. Singh, who will meet the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharaf; the Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, and his counterpart, Khurshid Kasuri, tomorrow, said.

``Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to convey the greetings of Prime Minister [Manmohan Singh] to President [Musharraf] and Mr. Shaukat Aziz. In my meeting tomorrow with Foreign Minister Kasuri, I will be reiterating India's commitment to a tension-free, peaceful and cooperative relationship with Pakistan.''

Mr. Singh said: ``We have now agreed to consider a pipeline through Pakistan, subject to satisfaction of our concerns related to security and assured supplies.'' He claimed that substantial progress had been made in the bilateral relationship since January 2004. ``The process had been imparted vigour after the new Government came to power in India in May 2004. Since then we have come a fair distance.''

The Minister said he was confident of taking the process forward between India and Pakistan.

``In today's context, cooperation and cordiality between our two countries is an imperative and a desirable objective.''

Mr. Singh pointed out that diplomatic and communication links had been restored to pre-December 2001 levels.

``One round of the composite dialogue has been completed, and the second round initiated in December last,'' he said, adding that several new subjects had been added to the composite dialogue.

The Commerce Secretaries of the two countries would meet in a week's time as part of their Joint Study Group deliberations.

Seveal agreements were possible in the next few months, including one on pre-notification of flight tests.

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