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| Stage is set for Foreign Secretaries' meet | | J&K to be key issue at upcoming talks: Pakistan | | B L KAK
NEW DELHI, NOV. 12
India and Pakistan are quite likely to ink and 'vital' agreement in the area of peace and security during the Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi this week.
Indications from official circles are by no means uncertain that the accord between the two countries will be on reducing risk of nuclear accidents. A draft agreement on reducing risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons has been under discussion betwen the two countries since August 2005.
New Delhi wants to go step by step as part of its strategy to build bridges with Islamabad. However, for Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir will be, according to Islamabad's officialdom, the key issue at the Foreign Secretary-level talks. In fact, an unidentified senior officer of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying: "We are very clear that Kashmir will remain the central issue during the talks and the effort will be to build on the convergences".
At the last round of expert-level talks on nuclear CBMs(confidence building measures) in Islamabad in April this year, the two sides reportedly came close to reaching an understanding, but due to some reservations by Pakistan it could not be firmed up. Apparently, Pakistan has now accepted the amendment made in the draft by India.
A draft agreement on prevention of incidents at sea proposed by Pakistan at the last round to which India had agreed, will also be discussed. Agreements on modalities of holding flag meetings between sector-level commanders at the Line of Control (LoC) and speedy repatriation of inadvertent border crossers are also in the offing.
The two sides will try to narrow down differences on Sir Creek and Siachen. The issue of prisoners, trade matters, including a trans-Kashmir truck service, re-opening of consulates in Mumbai and Karachi and visa regime would also figure in discussions.
There are strong indications from both sides that modalities of the joint anti-terror institutional mechanism that Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, and Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, decided to put in place during their Havana meeting in September would be firmed up. |
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