NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday told British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that cross-border terrorism and violence in Jammu and Kashmir was a matter of national concern and her party supported the government in combating it, party spokesman Anand Sharma said.
Briefing reporters on the 45-minute meeting, he said Sonia hoped that outstanding issues between India and Pakistan would be eventually settled 'once the temperatures and tensions were lowered'.
Sonia was accompanied by senior party member K Natwar Singh, while Straw was accompanied by some British officials.
He briefed the Congress chief on his talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and other Pakistani leaders and also emphasised the importance which his country attached to Indo-British bilateral relations, Sharma said.
Straw told Sonia that he hoped all outstanding Indo-Pak issues would be resolved bilaterally, Sharma said.
He said that Straw also handed Sonia a letter from British Prime Minister Tony Blair asking her to visit UK.
While the Congress chief had accepted the invitation, the dates of her visit would be worked out latter, the Congress spokesman said.
He said that no reference to Gujarat was made.
"The meeting was dedicated to the situation prevailing in the subcontinent," he said.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
