The Hindu : National : Pakistan flexible on Foreign Minister-level talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2006

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Pakistan flexible on Foreign Minister-level talks

Amit Baruah

Says any Minister of Cabinet rank can represent India

NEW DELHI: Pakistan will be flexible on the issue of who could represent India at the Foreign Minister-level talks as part of the composite dialogue process. New Delhi still does not have a full-fledged External Affairs Minister.

"We are flexible on the issue. Any Minister of Cabinet rank can represent India at these talks," a top Pakistan High Commission official told this correspondent. The main thing is that the talks should be held, he said.

This flies in the face of newspaper reports in Pakistan that the bilateral composite dialogue was in trouble since India was not prepared to appoint a Foreign Minister. At present, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself holds charge of the External Affairs portfolio.

A South Block official told The Hindu that Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan would arrive here on July 20 for "reviewing" the progress of the composite dialogue. The Foreign Secretaries were scheduled to meet on July 21.

The two countries had agreed to a "two plus six" dialogue structure in June 1997, a process they have followed with some additions since then. Of course, the composite dialogue was broken off by the Pakistanis in September 1997, only to be resumed the next year when the Foreign Secretaries discussed Jammu and Kashmir and peace and security in September 1998.

Jammu and Kashmir and peace and security have been discussed separately by the Foreign Secretaries given the Pakistani requirement that the Kashmir issue be given pride of place. The other six issues — Siachen, Wular barrage/Tulbul navigation project, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and cultural cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields — are discussed by different sets of officials.

As per the agreement reached in February 2004, the Foreign Ministers were to meet after a "review meeting" of the Foreign Secretaries.

The Foreign Secretaries meet twice during one single, composite dialogue round: once to discuss Kashmir and peace and security and then again to review the progress in all their eight subjects.

The Pakistani official said the meeting of Foreign Ministers might not be held back-to-back with the July 21 session of the Foreign Secretaries. Discussions are apparently on between the two sides to fix a date for Foreign Minister-level talks.

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