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Musharraf ready to meet Vajpayee

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Monday said he was prepared 'unconditionally' to hold talks on the Kashmir issue with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a regional summit on security in Kazakhstan's economic capital Almaty.

"I don't have any conditions (for a meeting). You need to ask this question to Vajpayee," Musharraf told a news conference after a meeting with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

Questioned on the prospects of avoiding war between the two countries, Musharraf replied: "I will do my utmost. I hope I will be successful. They say you can't clap with one hand, you clap with two hands, but the second has to be equally supportive in avoiding war. That is how we will succeed in avoiding war."

The Pakistani leader said Nazarbaev had told him he had been unable to obtain an assurance from (Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee during a separate meeting that the Indian premier would agree to speak to him.

On the prospects for Russian mediation, Musharraf said President Vladimir Putin was 'in a very important position to play a definitive role in mediation between India and Pakistan'.

Later, in an interview on Russian RTR television, Musharraf said the Indian refusal to hold direct talks was preventing progress in resolving the issue.

"As far as I am concerned, the main problem is the obstinacy and the reluctance of the Indian leadership to join with us in a process of dialogue," he said.

He stressed that the use of nuclear weapons was not an option. "Nuclear war in the present age is unthinkable. No sane personality would even discuss that," he said.

"I believe that India and Pakistan ought to be sensible enough and responsible enough to prevent or avoid a nuclear conflict," he said.

Musharraf and Vajpayee are in Almaty to attend a one-day Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building measures in Asia.

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