The Hindu : Front Page : Pranab takes up ceasefire violations with Quereshi

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Pranab takes up ceasefire violations with Quereshi

B. Muralidhar Reddy

“Lot of steam let out of pressure cooker after meeting”

Photo: AFP

CANDID parleys: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with his Pakistan counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Quereshi on the sidelines of the SAARC Council of Ministers’ meeting in Colombo on Thursday. —

COLOMBO: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistan counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Quereshi on Thursday prepared the ground for a formal meeting between their Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani on August 2 on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit here.

Dr. Singh and Mr. Gilani, who are arriving on Friday for the summit on August 2 and 3, are expected to discuss a range of issues, including the recent tensions that have crept into bilateral relations.

Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Quereshi, who had hour-long parleys on the sidelines of the SAARC Council of Ministers, told journalists that their talks were “frank, candid and open” and covered all issues of concern to both two sides, including the recent ceasefire violation across the Line of Control (LoC) and the bomb blast outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

Mr. Mukherjee said the discussion was held in a “cordial atmosphere” and they would report to their Prime Ministers the outcome of their talks. “We shared our perceptions on the composite dialogue and some of the recent events.”

Sources on the Indian side said that during the talks, Mr. Mukherjee expressed New Delhi’s concern over the recent incidents across the LoC. He also raised the issue of elements within Pakistan attempting to create trouble in India.

Addressing selected journalists, Mr. Quereshi sounded upbeat about his meeting with Mr. Mukherjee. He said a “comprehensive statement” on the bilateral engagement between the Prime Ministers would be issued on Saturday.

“Lot of steam has been let out of the pressure cooker after today’s meeting,” Mr. Quereshi said in response to a question on the recent statement made by Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon that relations between Islamabad and New Delhi have of late come “under strain.”

“The dish being cooked in the pressure cooker is obviously for better, and hopefully we will be able to share the prosperity and peace in the region,” he said.

On the ceasefire, he said Islamabad viewed it as the “most important confidence-building measure” and desired to strengthen it. He, however, conceded that there could be elements within Pakistan trying to spoil relations with India.

Pakistan would continue to respect the ceasefire. Both sides had gained enormously from the nearly five-year long ceasefire. “By and large, the ceasefire has held. Yes, recently there have been minor incidents but such irritants cannot be ruled out. We have a solid mechanism in place to sort out any misunderstandings.”

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