The Hindu : International / India & World : ``Optimistic on Kashmir''

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 15, 2005

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International - India & World

``Optimistic on Kashmir''

``I go in a very harmonious and friendly environment''

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, said on Thursday he was "fairly optimistic'' that the Kashmir dispute with India could be resolved and described the peace process between the two countries as "fairly irreversible." At an interview with Reuters ahead of his first visit to India since the summit in Agra in July 2001, Gen. Musharraf was relaxed enough to joke about the prospects, saying: "I hope it doesn't turn out like Agra!"

Gen. Musharraf said the atmosphere for talks was now much better, but his weekend meetings with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, would have to concentrate on trying to get closer to a solution on the Kashmir issue. "I am fairly optimistic, I would say, because I see Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be a sincere person and wanting to come to a resolution of this dispute," he said. "So if there is sincerity in the leadership, I think there can be progress."

For common ground

Gen. Musharraf said he did not expect an immediate breakthrough. "We cannot solve the issue, we cannot reach a conclusion, but if we make progress on it and we strike some common ground, that is what I would like to achieve and that is the maximum that one can expect." When he travelled to India for the failed Agra summit the environment had been "tense."

"I go in a very harmonious and friendly environment now," he said, adding that Pakistan and India were now talking about cooperation on gas pipelines from Iran, Qatar and Turkmenistan. Gen. Musharraf, who was born in Delhi, said his mother and son had been treated ``exceptionally well'' when they visited India recently and added: "I only hope we can take advantage of this friendly environment to resolve our disputes." Asked whether he felt the peace process was irreversible, he said a series of confidence-building measures had done a great deal to improve the mood. — Reuters

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