Pakistan to India :

We need to resolve, not live with, the Kashmir problem

BANGLADESH: India and Pakistan need to resolve their decades-old dispute over Kashmir and not just learn to live with the problem, a senior Pakistani official said.

"We are hoping that a situation has come where it is very important to also address a number of issues including of course the Kashmir issue," Pakistan foreign secretary (top official) Riaz Mohammad Khan told reporters in Dhaka.

"We should address them for their resolution beacuse it is important that we should not simply learn to live with problems. We should try to learn to resolve problems," Khan said.

"Resolution of problems is one of the best confidence-building measures."

Khan and his Indian counterpart both reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process after holding talks late Monday on the sidelines of a regional meeting in the Bangladeshi capital.

"The peace process between the two countries is important and all possible efforts should be made to see that this process is not in any way adversely affected," Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran told reporters afterwards.

Khan described the meeting as "positive".

"We discussed where we stand and how we should move forward," he said. Speaking Tuesday, he said the two countries would resume the peace talks but no dates had yet been set.

"There are no dates but the peace process with all its aspects will be resumed,' he said, adding it was India's turn to announce the fresh dates.

Dhaka, Wednesday, AFP.