India, Pak to minimise N-risk

However, the diplomats stressed that a result was not expected from this round, which was held to resume a dialogue after talks were deadlocked since September 1997 because of differences on how to tackle the Kashmir dispute.

The joint statement issued after the talks said: “The two foreign secretariesagreed that the next round of talks on the issues of peace and security, CBMs, and Jammu & Kashmir respectively and a review of the round would be held in the first half of February 1999 in New Delhi.”

The statement suggested that there had been movement on the issue of Kashmir, which Pakistan says is the core issue to the whole talks between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan contends that if there is no progress on the core issue, it would not allow progress on any of the other sub-committees. “Everything is tied to progress on Kashmir,” said a Pakistani official in Islamabad.

The joint statement vaguely indicated that “the two sides reiterated their respective positions.” India stuck to its original stand that other issues be tackled before the more difficult issue of Kashmir, a move that Pakistan opposes.

Foreign Secretary K Raghunath said: “When you look at a problem in totality, you move from the easy to the difficult and it does not help in international relations to frontload a process withproblems that are … complicated.”

Pakistan, however, has the opposite approach. Pakistan foreign secretary, Shamshad Ahmad, told the gathered media persons: “We must keep in mind that in the given climate of mistrust and lack of confidence it would be somewhat unrealistic to expect that substantial progress leading to a complete normalisation of relations can be achieved in all areas while the core issue remains unresolved.”

Raghunath also opposed Pakistan’s earlier proposals for third-party mediation and said that both sides must adhere to a bilateral dialogue as they decided in the 1973 Shimla accord. In reply, Shamshad Ahmad said that while Pakistan was not averse to the bilateral track, and was giving it a chance, third-party mediation “was a matter of necessity whenever it arises.”

Raghunath said that his side put forward “a broad package of confidence building measures ranging from avoidance of a nuclear conflict to measures for developing secure, dedicated communication links betweenpolitical, civilian and military authorities of the two countries.”

Ahmad said that Pakistan has also proposed “a solid regime of mutual restraint” which included stabilisation in the nuclear and ballistic field that can enable “Pakistan and India to avert the risk of a nuclear conflict and to prevent an expensive nuclear and missile race.”

The Islamabad talks had been agreed to by prime ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif at their meeting in New York last month.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today expressed “satisfaction” over the just concluded foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan and said he would await its outcome.

“I am satisfied with the talks,” he told reporters on board IAF aircraft after making an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.