UN chief encourages India, Pak to resolve issues through talks

 
       United Nations, Jul 30 (PTI) UN chief Ban Ki-moon on  
 Saturday welcomed the recent "constructive" talks between the
 Indo-Pak Foreign Ministers and encouraged the two countries to
 resolve their outstanding issues through dialogue in the
 interest of the regional security.
       The UN Secretary General "welcomes the recent
 constructive discussions between the two Foreign Ministers" in
 New Delhi, his office said on Saturday.
       "As he has done on occasions in the past, the Secretary
 General encourages the two countries to resolve their
 outstanding issues through dialogue in the interest of the
 peoples of the two countries and regional security," it said.
       Ban's statement follows the July 27 talks between
 External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani
 counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in New Delhi during which the
 two sides announced new Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
       The CBMs included increasing cross-LoC trading days and
 expanding travel to include tourism and religious aspects,
 apart from relaxing permit conditions for travel by people of
 the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the other
 side of LoC by having a system of six-month multiple entry.
 PTI BS
 AVT