India and Pakistan foreign ministers meet

Calls made for a new spirit of co-operation :

INDIA: The Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries met on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the minister-level talks. India and Pakistan’s foreign ministers are now holding formal peace talks in New Delhi. Before the talks on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the two countries called for a new spirit of co-operation. SM Krishna, the Indian foreign minister, said that his country wanted to see a “a stable, smooth and prosperous Pakistan”. His Pakistani counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar, said their relationship “should not be held hostage to the past”.

The bilateral meeting between the South Asian neighbours is expected to focus on confidence-building measures, trade and people-to-people exchanges. After arriving in the Indian capital on Tuesday, Khar stressed the need for both countries to learn from, but not be burdened by, “the lessons of history”.

They should move forward as “friendly neighbours, who have a stake in each other’s future and who understand the responsibility that both the countries have to the region”, she said.