The Hindu : Front Page : Hu all praise for India-Pakistan talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 25, 2006
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Hu all praise for India-Pakistan talks

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: President Hu Jintao of China on Friday praised Pakistan and India for being engaged in talks to resolve all the issues between them, saying this would pave the way for peace, stability and development in South Asia.

"We appreciate and support the efforts made by Pakistan and India to resolve their existing disputes peacefully through dialogue. We believe that this not only serves the interests of the people of Pakistan and India but is also conducive to the peace, stability and development of South Asia as a whole," the Chinese leader, who is visiting Pakistan, said at a joint press conference with President Pervez Musharraf.

He said China was "committed to playing our constructive role" to encourage the process. He did not elaborate further.

Asked what prospects he saw for the dialogue, President Musharraf said he could see "light at the end of the tunnel", especially after his interaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The talks with India were on a "bilateral dual track" of confidence-building measures and conflict resolution. While the CBMs had registered progress, there was need to focus on the conflict resolution part, he said.

"And in conflict resolution, Kashmir happens to be the core. I would like to say in this regard that there is light at the end of the tunnel; there is sincerity in the leadership on both sides to resolve disputes. And I feel at this time, the people of both countries desire peace. Therefore I am optimistic for the future, especially so because I have interacted with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and I see the desire towards resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan," he said.

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