No pre-conditions for talks from either side, says Pak

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Feb 11 (PTI) Pakistan Thursday said there
are no pre-conditions on either side for the proposed Foreign
Secretary-level talks, indicating its readiness for parleys
with India later this month.

"Let's not get into specifics. At this stage it is
important to remember that there are no pre-conditions on
either side," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit
told reporters.
He was asked whether there has been a climbdown since
Pakistan has been insisting that nothing short of a composite
dialogue will be accepted.
India has proposed talks between Foreign Secretaries
Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir to be held on either February
18 or 25.
"We are yet to respond to India's suggestion but
whenever the meeting takes place, we have to discuss all
issues that are of importance to us. We strongly believe that
with pre-conditions, we can't have a dialogue," Basit said.
Basit's remarks came hours after Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani accused India of trying to sidestep Kashmir
issue, saying "In fact, they (India) do not want to talk about
Kashmir."
Gilani also made it clear that the Indo-Pak composite
dialogue, covering eight issues including Kashmir and stalled
since the Mumbai terror attacks, is the "only way forward".
India had suspended the composite dialogue in the wake
of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and linked resumption of
talks with dismantling of terror infrastructure in Pakistan
and punishing those behind the attacks. (MORE) PTI RHL
MYR


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