Chidambaram to meet Malik today-25/6/10

25/06/2010

Chidambaram to meet Malik today

New Delhi: Making the first effort to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries, Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan today discussed all issues of mutual concern with New Delhi flagging its core concern of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil.



Home Minister P Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik would discuss terrorism and hoped that it will help strengthen efforts to address the issue.

Meeting for the second time in four months, Foreign Secretaries Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir described their parleys as "cordial" and "constructive" during which they tried to "understand each other's position" and concern.

Both sides also noted that Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik would discuss terrorism and hoped that it will help strengthen efforts to address the issue. Chidambaram will meet Malik tomorrow on the sidelines of the SAARC Home Ministers Meeting here. Rao, the first senior Indian official to travel to Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, asserted that the orientation of the re-engagement between the two countries was to look at the reasons why there was a trust deficit and how it can be bridged.

"We discussed all issues, obviously our core concerns on terrorism were also articulated," Rao told a joint press conference with Bashir after their meeting. She also noted that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had assured Manmohan Singh in Thimphu in April that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities against India.


Rehman Malik and Chidambaram will meet on the sidelines of the SAARC Home Ministers Meeting being held in Delhi.

"We believe that it is an important commitment and we also believe that we should jointly work together towards our goal of resolution of outstanding issues," she said. After his meeting with Rao to prepare the ground for the meeting of Foreign Ministers on July 15, Bashir said he felt "much more optimistic" about a good outcome at the talks. He said the two countries should "work towards restoring confidence and building trust with a view to make it possible to have comprehensive, sustained and substantial dialogue." "The meeting was marked with a great deal of cordiality, sincerity and earnestness. The dialogue was very constructive... We have been able to review comprehensively the state of our bilateral relations. All issues of concern and interests were touched upon," Bashir said.

Rao said the discussions were not only "exploratory", but the two sides also tried to "understand each other's position." She said both countries must "deny terrorist elements any opportunity to derail the peace process."

Both sides also exchanged proposals on outstanding issues including on Kashmir, humanitarian issues and terrorism, diplomatic sources said. Unlike their last meeting in New Delhi on February 25, the two sides were cautious today in articulating their positions before the media on various issues raised during the parleys.

Source: PTI