The Hindu : India, Pak. must resume talks, says French Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 04, 2002

International

International

India, Pak. must resume talks, says French Minister

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD AUG. 3 . The visiting French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, today emphasised the need for a "violence-free" election in Jammu and Kashmir and resumption of Indo-Pak. dialogue to defuse tension in the region.

Addressing a news conference here after meeting the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Inam-ul-Haq, the French Minister termed the election, scheduled in September/October, as a "milestone".

Mr. De Villepin, who arrived here after discussions with the Vajpayee Government, went straight from the military airport for a meeting with the Pakistan President at the Army House in Rawalpindi.

In response to a specific question about his talks with Gen. Musharraf on the Indian complaint of continued infiltration, the French Minister said the Pakistan President expressed "full determination" to fight terrorism. "The President has given a commitment without any caveats on reining in militants from crossing over to the Indian side".

An official statement said Mr. de Villepin was apprised of the "substantive measures" taken by Pakistan to defuse tensions with India. "It was also underlined that India needed to reciprocate these measures and enter into a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and all other issues between the two countries''.

Mr. De Villepin was cautious in his formulations on the perceptions of India and Pakistan about the current standoff. Conscious of the sensitivities of Islamabad and New Delhi, the Minister maintained that it was a bilateral issue. So careful was Mr. de Villepin in his observations that he chose to entertain questions, with the help of a translator, in French. The question-answer session followed a carefully worded statement in English read out by the Minister.

Mr. de Villepin said both India and Pakistan were at a "critical moment" with general elections in Pakistan due in October and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir scheduled in September/October. "There is a special responsibility on both the countries". He urged India to ensure that the elections were held in a transparent, reliable manner. He declined to be drawn into a debate on whether the elections in Kashmir could be a substitute for a plebiscite promised by the U.N. Security Council resolutions.The Minister said September 11 and the subsequent war on terrorism had created "an urgent need" for Pakistan and India to end their animosity and work for stability in the region. The added global uncertainty had made it imperative for the two nuclear powers to sort out their differences.

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