Danish PM condemns cross-border terrorism

Rasmussen’s change of stance came after a concerted operation by the External Affairs Ministry. Vajpayee, who looked far more relaxed today in contrast to a stiff and uncomfortable Rasmussen, said: ‘‘We have been told that pressure is being put on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism. We are requesting our Danish friends to exert some more pressure.’’

Later, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told mediapersons on board the aircraft en route to London that European Union leaders Solana and Chris Patten had expressed deep disappointment to Rasmussen over the way things had gone at the joint press conference yesterday. Indian diplomats also worked overtime to set the record straight. On the polls in Kashmir, Rasmussen was enigmatic again. He said he welcomed the conclusion of the polls. ‘‘‘I hope this would be a precursor to a forward looking dialogue with the people of J-K.’’

This led an Indian journalist to ask whether India needed to do something more to prove its sincerity. Sinha alluded to the ignorance about South Asia in Europe. ‘‘Sometimes we find that they don’t even know whether Kashmir is in north or south India,’’ he said. Both Vajpayee and Rasmussen expressed great satisfaction over the bilateral exchanges on the economic side. They contended that there was considerable untapped potential.