Bush dashes Pakistan hopes of a nuke deal

Islamabad, Mar 04: US President George W Bush today (Mar 04, 2006) dashed Pakistan's hopes of striking a deal for civilian nuclear energy cooperation on the lines of the Indo-US agreement and said Washington would continue to encourage India and Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.

Mr Bush was interacting with media along with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf after wide-ranging talks between the two leaders at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting lasting about an hour before they were joined by their respective delegations.

The US President, who arrived here last night from New Delhi, also impressed upon Gen Musharraf the need to restore democracy in his country, saying it was in the interest of his nation.

Mr Bush welcomed the ongoing dialogue process between India and Pakistan for the resolution of all outstanding issues. "President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have a historic opportunity to work for peace. They have shown that they are leaders of courage and want to resolve differences".

He said the atmosphere between the two countries had changed from what it was in 2001-2002 when there was a lot of tension between them. He also took note of the confidence building measures (CBMs) taken by the two countries and the opening of transportation links between them.

UNI

Related Stories
Bush, Musharraf to talk tough on terrorism