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Srinagar, venue for next Inter-State Council meet

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 14. The next meeting of the Inter-State Council will be held in August-end in Srinagar, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, said here today. This was decided at a meeting when the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, called on him.

For the first time Srinagar will play host to the meeting of the Inter-State Council, headed by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. The Council, functioning under the overall supervision of the Union Home Ministry, has all the Chief Ministers as members as well as about half a dozen Central Ministers as special invitees.

The proposal to hold the meeting there was first mooted during the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council which was held here recently. If the Council is able to hold its session in Srinagar, it would send positive signals across the country and act as a confidence-booster for the violence-hit border State.

Srinagar has also seen recent visits by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and Mr. Vajpayee and hosted a conclave of the Congress Chief Ministers on May 30, presided over by the party president, Sonia Gandhi.

Talking to presspersons, Mr. Advani said the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the general security scenario in the State. The Mufti apprised Mr. Advani of the latest spurt in tourist arrivals in the Valley, which has so far seen a good "tourist season.''

The Centre's interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir, N.N. Vohra, also called on the Mufti. During their hour-long meeting, they exchanged views on the progress of dialogue with different sections in a bid to find a solution to the Kashmir issue. Mr. Vohra, who has already visited Jammu and the Valley extensively, is likely to visit the Ladakh region shortly.

The Mufti told Mr. Vohra that the people in the State had great expectations and expressed optimism that the dialogue process would help usher in peace. He, however, stressed the need for bringing all sections, including separatists, within the ambit of a comprehensive dialogue initiated by the Centre on Kashmir. The Chief Minister called on Mr. Vajpayee later and apprised him of the latest situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the Mufti called on Ms. Gandhi and discussed the overall situation prevailing in the State. During his 50-minute meeting, he briefed her about the steps taken by the Government to address the problems of the people and accelerate the process of socio-economic development. He requested Ms. Gandhi to take early follow-up action on the decision of 15 Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States to help promote tourism in the State.

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