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Missile tests pact between Pakistan, India
next month
Pakistan
Times
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and
India will formally sign the recently agreed pact on advance notification of
missile tests early next month when the two foreign secretaries will meet to
review progress on the second round of peace talks.
Besides, the top officials of two foreign ministries, in their talks likely
to be held on 1st and 2nd September, would also announce the establishment
of hotline between them to avert accidental or illegal use of nuclear
weapons.
Officials here said that Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan would also
discuss with his Indian counterpart the two main items on composite dialogue
agenda, Kashmir as well as Peace and Security.
However, they said owing to recurrence of intransigence in Indian behavior,
any breakthrough on Kashmir problem was not expected.
They said that the two foreign secretaries would also deliberate on the
agenda of upcoming meeting between the President Pervez Musharraf and Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meeting in
September.
Concerns by Pakistan
Pakistan’s foreign secretary would convey his country’s concerns to his
Indian counterpart on the slow pace of the peace process with a demand of
initiation of meaningful talks on the core issue of Kashmir, an official
said.
He said Pakistan’s impression was that progress in the arena of CBMs had
been tangible citing the example of recently held successful nuclear talks
and earlier accord on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.
As for Kashmir, Pakistani authorities believe it is time now to touch upon
this issue with an aim at its negotiated settlement and this is the clear
message that the foreign secretary Khan would be delivering to his Indian
counterpart, the official added.●
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