The Hindu : International / India & World : Manmohan's speech positive, says Pakistan

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Friday, Dec 22, 2006
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Manmohan's speech positive, says Pakistan

Nirupama Subramanian

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Amritsar speech and said the time for a treaty of peace, friendship and co-operation with India would come when the two countries had resolved "all outstanding issues" between them.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said Dr. Singh's remarks, in which he talked of the need for both countries to put the past behind them to realise their shared destiny, were "positive."

"We see it as a positive response to efforts by our President to bring about peace and stability in this region and to resolve all outstanding issues."

Ms. Aslam specifically pointed to Dr. Singh's statement that he was receptive to "the new ideas and thoughts from Pakistan," and the need to approach issues in an "open and friendly" way. "This is again a positive development. We have always emphasised the need for reciprocal flexibility to resolve all outstanding issues," she said.

Dr. Singh's idea of a treaty of peace, security and friendship was a vision for the future when the right conditions existed. "Mr. Singh has himself specified the conditions under which such a treaty can come about, and that is when we have established peace between the two countries. We have repeatedly talked about the conditions for establishing peace between the two countries. And we have said that this would require the resolution of all outstanding issues."

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