Pak. for joint press meet at Agra

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 3. Pakistan is believed to have expressed a desire for a joint press conference by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, at the end of the summit in Agra on July 16.

According to diplomatic sources, India and Pakistan are yet to decide on whether they would go for a joint statement or a joint press conference by the leaders.

During an interaction with a group of senior Pakistani editors recently, Gen. Musharraf had said that he would try to convince India on a joint press conference with Mr. Vajpayee.

``As of now there is no response from the Indian side. We expect a clear picture in the next few days,'' a senior official of the Pakistan Foreign Office said.

While India is yet to decide on the suggestion, the view in New Delhi is certainly not in favour of a joint statement given the continued insistence of Pakistan on the centrality of Kashmir as the main source of problem between the two countries.

``We have reasons to be wary of a joint statement particularly after the adverse reaction to the Lahore Declaration signed by the then Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, along with Mr. Vajpayee. We would also be rather comfortable with the idea of a joint press conference,'' the official maintained.

At a high-level meeting presided over by him on Monday, Gen. Musharraf is believed to have once again reiterated that Kashmir would be the focus of his talks.

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