M A I N   N E W S

End to terror not pre-condition: PM
Tribune Reporters and PTI

Manali, May 13
Maintaining that India was not setting any conditions, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said today that it was necessary that the terrorist infrastructure across the border should be dismantled and terrorism should end for a conducive atmosphere for a dialogue with Pakistan.

“Terrorism should end. Terrorist camps and infrastructure across the border should be dismantled. That will open the door for talks,” he told mediapersons here on his arrival for a six-day holiday here.

Asked if an end to cross-border terrorism was a pre-condition for talks, Mr Vajpayee said, “It is not a condition, it is necessary. We are not calling it a pre-condition. But without that (end to cross border terrorism), how can a conducive atmosphere be created”.

To a question about Pakistan’s stand that talks should be unconditional, he said the talk of unconditional talks had no meaning.

Asked what would happen if terrorism did not end, the Prime Minister shot back, “It should end”.

He said he had extended the hand of friendship to Pakistan and let us see what was the response.

KULU: The Prime Minister arrived at the Bhuntar airport, near here, by an Indian Air Force HS-748 (AVRO) aircraft at 11.58 a.m. on Tuesday. He was accorded a warm welcome by Governor Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his Cabinet colleagues Sat Mahajan, Rangila Ram Rao, G.S. Bali, Singhi Ram and Asha Kumari, Congress MLA Ishwar Dass, BJP MPs Maheshwar Singh and Suresh Chandel and former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Mr Vajpayee later left for Prini by an IAF MI-17 helicopter. Mr Maheshwar Singh said state BJP leaders would support the government in getting special grants from the Centre. He said Indian Airlines, which had withdrawn its flights to Himachal Pradesh, should operate the newly bought ATR-42 aircraft to tourist destinations in the state.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, who accompanied Mr Vajpayee to Prini, said he would seek a special package for Himachal Pradesh, as it was a special-category state. He said he would urge the Prime Minister to help increase the size of the state’s annual plan.

Menon to be envoy to Pakistan
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 13
On the eve of the crucial meeting between External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Moscow, India today announced the name of Mr Shivshankar Menon as its next High Commissioner in Islamabad to fill up an empty chair vacated by Mr Vijay K Nambiar more than a year ago.

With this, India has once again taken the initiative in step-by-step normalisation of ties with Pakistan without waiting for reciprocity, an unwritten principal of diplomatic protocol.

Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner, Mr Munnawar Saeed, told The Tribune today that Mir Zaffarullah Khan Jamali government was likely to announce the name of its new High Commissioner to India “soon”. Mr Saeed declined to say how soon the “soon” would be and said: “I can’t give you any timeframe for this.”

Prime Minister Vajpayee made it clear in Manali today that Pakistan would have to put an end to its cross-border terrorism before the talks begin.