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| Musharraf calls for direct talks with Manmohan | | |
Washington, Sep 23 Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has
called for a direct dialogue with Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, rising above the long-winding official-level talks, to
settle Kashmir and other issues that had long plagued the
relations between India and Pakistan.
Replying to a question by an Indian student, after his
speech at the George Washington University here yesterday,
Gen Musharraf said, ''it is time that Dr Manmohan Singh
and I, we sit down and reach decisions and solutions,'' because
the official parleys had run their course.
''I have always believed one should never suffer from paralysis
to analysis,'' he said quoting former US President Nixon.
He said he had invited Mr Singh and he hope he would come
to Pakistan. ''We will try to move this (peace) process
forward,'' he said.
Gen Musharraf said, ''I see Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as
very positive and very sincere person.''
Making out a case for direct talks, he said he had invited
Mr Singh, while the ministerial-level talks and secretarial-level
talks would continue but ''I am, personally, of the view that
they have run their course because their have been so many
meetings.''
At the outset, Gen Musharraf said the two countries are
going to start peace talks soon which should never break
down. ''Talks should never breakdown through any kind of terrorist
activities which we condemn and strongly oppose; more so because,
it is the aim and objective of all the terrorists to make sure
that these talks should fail.''
''We will be playing their (terrorists) game if we allow
the failure of the talks because of their actions,'' the Pakistan
President said.
He said he had a ''wonderful'' meeting with Mr Singh during
the Nonaligned Summit in Havana on September 16.
Gen Musharraf said the joint statement that he and Indian
Prime Minister issued in Havana contained ''seeds of success
and forward movement.''
The Havana document talks of establishing an India-Pakistan
anti-terrorism institutional mechanism to identify and
implement counter-terrorism initiatives and investigations.
It also commits the two countries ''to continue the joint
search for mutually acceptable options for a peaceful negotiated
settlement of all issues between India and Pakistan including
the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a sincere and purposeful manner.''
Gen Musharraf also issued an appeal to people of both
India and Pakistan ''to show understanding and flexibility'' and
extend support to him and Dr Manmohan Singh because there were
people around who ''do not want peace to come and who prefer to
derail this (peace process). They have rigid positions. They do
not want to let the peace process move forward.''
''The people of both countries want peace and want us to
succeed in resolving our disputes and, therefore, it is up to
the leadership to make sure that they get resolved,'' Gen Musharraf
said. |
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