Russia hails summit

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, JULY 11. Russia hailed the coming India-Pakistan summit as a major move towards revival of dialogue between the states.

``The Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision to hold a summit meeting between Mr. Vajpayee and Gen. Musharraf as an important and timely step towards the resumption of dialogue between the two key states in South Asia,'' the Interfax news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying. Mr. Alexander Yakovenko told Interfax that Moscow was ``closely watching'' recent India-Pakistan contacts and preparations for the summit. ``We take note of the fact that both sides have taken a number of steps to create an atmosphere of trust,'' the spokesman said, voicing the hope that the summit will be dominated by the spirit of Shimla and Lahore.

``We believe that talks in the spirit of the Shimla Accord and the Lahore Declaration can play a substantial role in strengthening the basis of stability'' Mr. Yakovenko said.``We hope that regular meetings will facilitate an effective functioning of the international mechanisms of disarmament and non-proliferation.''

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Section  : International
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