Pak pins hope on joint anti-terror mechanism

Islamabad, Sept 19: Pakistan is optimistic that the proposed India-Pakistan joint anti-terror institutional mechanism would be effective in dealing with terrorism.

''We hope that joint anti-terror mechanism will be useful in whatever shape it takes,'' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said yesterday while addressing the media here.

In their first meeting in Havana on the fringes of the NAM Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf decided to put in place an India-Pakistan anti-terrorism institutional mechanism to identify and implement counter-terrorism initiatives and investigations.

The two leaders had also strongly condemned all acts of terrorism and agreed that terrorism was a ''scourge'' that needed to be effectively dealt with.

When asked about the contours of the proposed mechanism, Ms Aslam said the purpose to put in place such a mechanism was to help prevent acts of terrorism in both the countries.

''The two countries will also use the mechanism to convey terror-related information to each other,'' she said and added Pakistani Foreign and Interior ministries and Indian External Affairs and Home Ministries were to be used as channels to convey such information.

She also denied any change in Pakistan's position on the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

''The joint statement issued after a meeting between Pakistani and Indian leaders also does not imply or envisage any change on Islamabad's Kashmir policy,'' she said while reading out excerpts from the statement.

The statement said the two leaders decided to continue the joint search for mutually acceptable options for a peaceful negotiated settlement of all issues between India and Pakistan, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, in a sincere and purposeful manner.

''On the Jammu and Kashmir issue, there have been useful discussions (and) there is a need to build on convergences and narrow down divergences,'' it added.

Ms Aslam did not give the exact date of the meeting between Pakistani and Indian Foreign Secretaries when asked as to when the dialogue process is to resume in the light of the decision taken by Dr Singh and Gen Musharraf.

''Review meeting of the foreign secretaries will be convened at the earliest followed by resumption of the next round of the talks,'' she said.

India had postponed the talks, also known as the Composite Dialogue Process, days after Dr Singh accused elements across the border for their involvement in the July 11 serial bombings in Mumbai.

The two countries, which had resumed their peace talks in February 2004 after years of tensions, held two rounds of the composite dialogue before it was put off for an indefinite period.

But Dr Singh and Gen Musharraf agreed that the peace process must be maintained, as its success was important for both countries and the future of the entire region. In this context, they directed their Foreign Secretaries to resume the composite dialogue at the earliest possible.

They directed their Foreign Secretaries to meet shortly in New Delhi to continue the Composite Dialogue and arrange consultations for an early solution to the Siachen issue.

According to the joint statement, experts should meet immediately to agree on coordinates for joint survey of Sir Creek and adjoining area, without prejudice to each other's position on the issue. The Survey should commence in November next year. The experts should start discussions on the maritime boundary.

The two sides will also facilitate implementation of agreements and understandings already reached on LOC-related CBMs, including bus services, crossing points and truck service.

''There was a hiccup in the peace process, which has now fully resumed,'' the spokesperson said.

She also referred to Gen Musharraf's proposal for making the LoC irrelevant but stressed that this did not represent any face-saving or face-losing situation for the either country.

UNI

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