The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Thursday, May 1, 2003, Chandigarh, India

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PM’s offer to Pak bold step: UK

New Delhi, April 30
Terming as a bold step Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s offer of ‘hand of friendship’ to Pakistan, Britain today asserted that all support to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir from across the border must stop.

British High Commissioner in India Sir Rob Young in an interview to ‘PTI-Bhasha’ said the Kashmir problem was a bilateral issue which India and Pakistan alone would have to resolve. “Countries friendly to the two nations are prepared to lend a helping hand,” he said. Stating that Mr Vajpayee’s move was “positive, helpful and courageous”, Sir Rob said this could pave the way for a solution of the Kashmir issue. PTI

Boost in Indo-Pak ties expected
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30
A spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs today said India expected a forward movement on five subjects identified by the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan during their telephonic conversation on Monday night for normalisation of relations between the two countries, but added that he was not in a position at this stage to say “what will begin when”.

The spokesman, Mr Navtej Sarna, refused to be drawn into specifics when reporters persistently questioned him what new confidence-building measures were expected to be taken by India in the wake of Monday’s telephonic conversation.

He said the two Prime Ministers had agreed to consider steps to move forward on economic cooperation, people-to- people contacts, cultural exchanges, road-rail-air links and sporting ties.

The spokesman said both Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafrullah Khan Jamali agreed that a peaceful atmosphere must be created in the sub-continent. And for that to happen, Pakistan would have to stop cross-border terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

He said India desired an enhanced economic cooperation between the two countries within the SAARC framework.

The spokesman also declined to comment on a reported statement by Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh that the two countries could begin talks in June.