Pakistani President urges India to act on Kashmir

BRUSSELS, Sep 12 (Reuters) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf today urged India to make early concessions to solve a decades-old Kashmir issue, saying he was optimistic a solution was within reach.

Musharraf spoke during a visit to Brussels before a meeting, scheduled for the end of this week, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana.

''The objective is within reach ... I am really hopeful the process will move forward,'' he told European lawmakers.

Musharraf insisted it was India's turn to make concessions and take into account long-running indications from Islamabad that it would no longer insist on a plebiscite among Kashmiris over their future.

''I have not given an inch. We will not move away from our stance until we see India move away from its stance,'' he said, insisting a firm agreement to dispense with a plebiscite was dependent on Indian efforts to find a compromise.

''We have to engage in out-of-the-box thinking ... An out-of-the-box solution is required,'' he said, calling for more local Kashmiri involvement in resolving the dispute.

''Any settlement must be acceptable first to the people of Kashmir.'' U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, who was also visiting Brussels, told reporters that Washington believed it was possible to make progress on Kashmir.

''We think it requires efforts on both sides; not only on the Kashmir issue, but to decrease local tensions,'' he said. ''I guess that is something we continue to urge them to do ... we hope that they can make some progress.'' Reuters PKS DB2315