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| Thursday, 24 June 2004 |
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India committed to resolve differences with Pakistan : Natwar Singh QINGDAO, Wednesday (PTI, AFP) India is committed to resolve all differences with Pakistan bilaterally through negotiations and the highest-level meeting between the two Foreign Ministers here has paved the way to take the composite dialogue process forward, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh said here. "We in India have always been committed to resolving all our differences with Pakistan bilaterally and through negotiations," Singh told PTI, a day after holding in-depth talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri here on the sidelines of the just-concluded Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Foreign Ministers' meeting. "I had an extremely warm and productive meeting with my distinguished colleague, Foreign Minister Kasuri of Pakistan," Singh, who invited Kasuri for a 'working lunch' said. "We had already established an excellent working relationship between us through our several telephone conversations earlier. Through this meeting, we have been able to further cement this process," Singh said.Describing his meeting with Kasuri, the highest-level contact between India and Pakistan since the Manmohan Singh government assumed power last month, as "friendly and forthcoming", Singh said he and Kasuri discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and how to take forward the dialogue process that was initiated in February. Meanwhile Indian and Pakistani officials said they were close to resolving differences between the two countries over the sharing of water from rivers running through disputed Kashmir. "It is going to be a win-win situation," Pakistani Water and Power Secretary Ashfaq Mehmood told reporters after high-level talks here with his Indian counterparts. "The issues are almost now resolved." His Indian counterpart V.K. Duggal also appeared optimistic. "We have discussed all the issues with an open mind and we have taken them very close to a point of resolution. We would now be reporting to our respective governments," Duggal said, without elaborating. The two sides met to narrow differences over the sharing of water under the 1960 Indus Basin Treaty, which divides between Pakistan and India six rivers which run through or start in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The provisions of the treaty give India exclusive rights over the waters of the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers, while Pakistan has rights over the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers. |
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