M A I N   N E W S

Sinha rules out early Indo-Pak summit

New Delhi, July 9
Ruling out an early Indo-Pak summit meeting, India today asserted that while it was not shying away from discussing the Kashmir issue, Pakistan should emulate the Sino-Indian model of not allowing one single issue to hold “hostage” progress in all other issues.

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha at an interaction with journalists in New Delhi on Wednesday. — PTI photo

Emphasising the step-by-step approach towards a dialogue, the External Affairs Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, said the time was not ripe for a summit or even a meeting at the level of Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan. “We should first talk about the talks — how these will begin and what will be the agenda”.

Responding to the Pakistani President, Gen Pervez Musharraf’s suggestion that India should show “flexibility” as it had done in the case of Tibet, Mr Sinha said he did not know what flexibility the General was referring to.

“I would like to tell them in turn that they should perhaps emulate the model we have evolved with China to further our relations where we have moved forward on all fronts and not allowed one single issue to hold hostage progress on all other issues,” he told PTI.

Mr Sinha, who has just completed one year in the Foreign Ministry Office marked by major Indian initiatives towards Pakistan and China, said India was willing to discuss all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, but there was no agreement with Islamabad as to what constituted a core issue, a term repeatedly used by General Musharraf to describe Kashmir.

The External Affairs Minister made it clear that no meaningful talks could be held with Islamabad without an end to the cross-border terrorism and infiltration which continued to cause great concern to India. — PTI