M A I N   N E W S

PM to talk with Putin and Zemin, but not Musharraf

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with three Service Chiefs at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday. Vajpayee left for Kazakhstan to attend the Conference of Interaction and Confidence Building Measure in Asia. — PTI photo Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with Home Minister L. K. Advani and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh in New Delhi on Sunday. — Reuters photo

Almaty, June 2
Amid continuing tension on the India-Pakistan border, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, arrived here today on a four-day visit during which he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin and call for pressure on Pakistan to end cross-border terrorism.

Mr Vajpayee is here to participate in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) which is also being attended by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on June 4.

Earlier in New Delhi Mr Vajpayee, ruled out holding talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Kazakhstan but said depending on the situation on the ground, India would “give it a serious consideration” and “take appropriate steps”.

“I have no such plans (to talk to Musharraf),” he told reporters before emplanning for his four-day visit to Almaty.

“If we see the result on the ground of General Musharraf’s statements, we shall certainly give it our serious consideration”, he said adding “Aur jo uchit hoga uske liye kadam uthayenge (and whatever appropriate steps are needed we will take), Mr Vajpayee said.

In his departure statement the Prime Minister said he had spoken to US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair and in Almaty he would meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin and discuss the issue of cross-border terrorism.

Mr Vajpayee arrived here by a special Air India flight and was given a warm reception at the airport before being driven to Hotel Ankara where he will stay till June 5.

He is accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah, National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and senior officials.

The Prime Minister’s aircraft took a detour to avoid Pakistani airspace and flew over Iran and some Central Asian nations to reach here, a journey which took more than seven hours instead of the usual three. PTI, UNI

Musharraf for one-to-one talks

Dushanbe, June 2
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told reporters in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, during a stopover on his way to Almaty summit.

“I’m ready to meet anywhere and at any level. I would like the talks to be one-on-one, but if (Vajpayee) he doesn’t want to, I will not insist.” AP