Manmohan Singh-Gilani talks 'great', says Omar

Srinagar, Nov 10: Terming as "great" the talks between Prime Minister Manmoham Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today (Nov 10) said dialogue is the "only option" to resolve all outstanding issues between the two nations.

"It is great that India and Pakistan are talking. This is what we have always been saying that dialogue is the only option," Omar told reporters here. The Chief Minister said there is "no other option" for the resolution of outstanding issues between India and Pakistan "including obviously the issue of Jammu and Kashmir".

Singh and Gilani, earlier in the morning, met at Addu in Maldives on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit to give a push to normalisation of bilateral relations marked by "shrinking" trust deficit.

"The fact that our foriegn ministers have met, the fact that our Prime Ministers have set aside one-and-a-half hours for dialogue shows that, I think, an element of maturity has crept into the relationship where we are able to talk now more substantively rather than just symbolic talk," Omar said.

PTI