PAK-LD QURESHI 2 LST

Islamabad, which has been insisting on resuming the
stalled composite dialogue, now appears to have dropped the
demand.
Qureshi said Pakistan desired the resumption of
dialogue as that is the only sensible way forward.
The two Prime Ministers, during their meeting,
reiterated their commitment to the dialogue and agreed to the
resumption of the peace process under which all issues will be
discussed, he added.
This marked a change from recent bilateral talks on
the sidelines of international meetings and the Foreign
Secretary-level talks in February, when India had "focussed
only on terrorism", Qureshi said.
Pakistan has acknowledged that terrorism is an issue
for the whole region, including India and Afghanistan, and was
not limited to any one country, he said.
Terrorism is a common enemy for India and Pakistan and
it tackled effectively if the two countries pool their
resources, he added.
Qureshi also made it clear that "third parties" like
the US can only give advice and "nudge" India and Pakistan but
they cannot force the two countries to find solutions.
Back channel talks have their own importance as they
create an enabling environment but they cannot deliver without
progress in the "front channel", he added.
Elaborating on the atmosphere during Thursday's
talks, Qureshi said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had remarked
that he wanted relations between the two sides to improve to
such an extent that he and the Pakistani premier could be on a
"first name basis" and "pick up the phone and talk on any
issue".
Gilani also told Singh he should visit Pakistan as the
Indian premier had fond memories of his childhood in the
village near Chakwal where he was born, Qureshi said.
He added that he thought the Indian Prime Minister was
"more confident" now as his government had secured a larger
mandate in the last election and the leadership of the
Congress part was "on board" regarding talks with Pakistan.
PTI RHL
MRD


The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive
use of the addressee(s) and may contain proprietary, confidential or privileged
information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please
notify the sender immediately and destroy
all copies of this message and any attachments contained in it.



Delete & Prev | Delete & Next