US welcomes Pak-India composite dialogue

“With the initiation of dialogue on the disputed matters both Pakistan and Indian would be in a position to advance towards resolution of the problems confronting South Asia”, US foreign Minster Colin Powel said while talking to President General Pervez Musharraf by phone on Wednesday.

He said that US would continue to play its role in a bid to make Musharraf-Vajpayee parleys productive. Extending congratulations to Musharraf on issuance of joint declaration after his (Musharraf) meeting with Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee he said US was for peace in the region.

US, he emphasized, viewed both Pakistan and India as important countries saying that the determination of procedure by India and Pakistan for resolution of Kashmir issue was appreciable.

The foreign secretary also made mention of the efforts mounted by Pakistan for uprooting of terrorism, saying the country’s policies to stamp out the menace were worth commendation.

Signing on the additional protocol on elimination of terrorism by the Saarc countries, he said reflected that like US the countries were willing to purge the region of terrorism.

Speaking to the foreign Minster General Pervez Musharraf apprised him that Pakistan was going to initiate negotiations with India ‘with earnestness and openness’.

Policies concerning stamping out of terrorism would continue and more steps in this regard were to follow, he said.

Meanwhile, talking to Indian Minister for External Affairs Yashwant Sinha, US foreign minister Collin Powell termed the joint statement by Musharraf and Vajpayee as ‘historic development’ asked both the countries to consolidate the pace of negotiation to iron out their political disputes.

US played a role in Vajpayee-Musharraf meet: Wall Street Journal

The United States played a "quiet but significant" role in bringing about the meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of the SAARC summit, media report claimed Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal quoting sources said that diplomats trace the roots of the Vajpayee-Musharraf meeting to back channel discussions involving senior Indian and Pakistani officials including Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and others.

"It also involved the Bush Administration", senior diplomats in Islamabad said.

"The US has repeatedly urged New Delhi and Islamabad to resume direct dialogue. The American’s role was quiet but significant in the negotiations", Wall Street Journal said quoting a senior Pakistani official as saying.

Thaw in Pak-India negotiations hailed worldwide: Kasuri

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri Wednesday said that the international community had termed the recently brokered thaw in Pak-India negotiations as encouraging.

In an interview to PTV on Wednesday, the Foreign Minister said that it is heartening for us that all the major powers including US, Britain, Russia and China had welcomed the resumption of negotiations.

Kasuri said that China had also hailed resumption of dialogue and signing of SATFA by Saarc countries in the 12th Saarc Summit.

Colin Powel and Jack Straw’s statement clearly showed that all the major powers were keen to resolve long-standing issue of Kashmir, Kasuri concluded.

PPP welcomes Pak-India dialogue

Spokesman of the PPP, Senator Farhatullah Babar has welcomed the continuation of the peace process between Pakistan and India which it began in 1989 as a continuation of the Simla Agreement of 1971.

In a statement issued the other day, the Party believes that the creative potential of the people of the South Asian region can be fully realised when they have an opportunity to live in peace with justice and honour.

It is in this context of the Party’s policy that the PPP views the just concluded SAARC summit. It recalls that SAPTA was born during the Islamabad Summit meeting of 1989 at the initiative of the PPP government.

It was subsequently ratified during the PPP government of 1993-1996. It hopes that the commitments made in the joint declaration.

Islamabad declaration, the SAFTA agreement and the additional protocol on terrorism will be implemented in letter and spirit.

The PPP notes that the PPP Commerce Ministry had done extensive work for trade liberalization within SAARC, which was held up after its dismissal.

Following the nuclear detonations of 1998, the PPP called upon the people of South Asia to reduce tension by building trade. This call was made during the Indo Pak Parliamentarian Conference of 1999.

It is therefore a moral victory for the PPP to see the triumph of its ideas and to witness how those who once viewed these ideas as a security risk are now accepting the wisdom and vision of the PPP.

The Party further notes that under the additional protocol it is an offense to collects funds with the intention to use in acts intended to cause harm to civilians and to intimidate a population.

The Party has also noted that the joint declaration was agreed to between the Army Chief of Pakistan and the elected Prime Minister India.

The Party believes that the declaration should have been between the two Prime Ministers rather than between the Army Chief of one country and the elected Prime Minister of another.

The PPP believes that in the absence of a political consensus in Pakistan with the legitimate representatives of the people, the present peace process would remain fragile.

The PPP views the present developments as tactical measures by regime facing international criticism with regard to renewed Taliban activity as well as Iran based and Libyan based disclosures regarding nuclear proliferation.

The Party believes that the peace process can be advanced only if there is genuine consensus within the country on issues of national security.

The forced exile of the true representatives of the people and leaders of democratic parties and systematic decimation of the mainstream political parties has robbed the polity of the vital national consensus which is crucial for the advancement of peace agenda.