Search the Internet          Tips

India not to talk with Pak in third country

Sujit Chatterjee in Almaty

India on Tuesday night said it would not engage in talks with Pakistan in a third country after President Pervez Musharraf claimed that Russia was inviting him and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Moscow for negotiations.

"There is no question of meeting Musharraf in Moscow or any other place," National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said.

Reacting to Musharraf's claim, Mishra said that Vajpayee could meet the Pakistani leader in India or in Pakistan provided cross-border terrorism ended and Musharraf's promises in this regard were implemented on the ground.

He rejected Pakistan's demand for third party mediation.

Both Vajpayee and Musharraf separately met Putin earlier in the day after which the Russian leader expressed the hope that neither country would use force in their ongoing standoff.

He said the two leaders differ on the conditions for initiation of dialogue between them.

Putin, however, said, "There is a desire for direct contact ... the most important thing is that both of them have decided to resolve their conflict in a peaceful manner."

India as well as Pakistan were 'sending positive signals' about resolving their conflict peacefully, Putin said.

Besides holding talks with Putin, Vajpayee also met Jiang Zemin, President of China, and a close ally of Pakistan.

The Indo-Pak stand off overshadowed the 16-nation regional security summit, which witnessed the two countries blaming each other for the current tension in the sub-continent.

The summit ended with a declaration against terrorism.

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu: The complete coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report