Terrorism from Pakistani soil stressing relations: India tells Pak

Triesta (Italy), June 26 (ANI): India on Friday told Pakistan that terrorism emanating from its soil was the reason behind bilateral ties being under considerable stress.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi at Triesta city of Italy on the sidelines of the G-8 Foreign ministers meeting.

The Friday's meet was the second high-level meeting between the two countries in which both the leaders reviewed the current status of Indo-Pak relations. Both, however, agreed that there was vast potential that still existed in India-Pakistan relations.

Krishna, later told mediapersons that the relations have remained under considerable stress and the primary cause of this is the terrorist attacks on India by elements based in Pakistan.

Krishna said that he conveyed the sentiments of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh saying India was ready to meet Pakistan more than half way to utilise and harness that potential for our mutual benefit.

"At the same time, we have to address centrally why our relations come under stress recurrently," Krishna said.

e also told his Pakistani counterpart that the forthcoming meeting of Foreign Secretaries, as decided by both the leaders earlier in Russia, was important.

It would enable both sides to take stock of where we stand on the issue of terrorism and the fulfilment by Pakistan of its assurance that its territory would not be used for terrorist attacks on India, Krishna told media.

Besides meeting Qureshi, the External Affairs Minister also met Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and is expected to meet British Foreign Secretary and Canadian Foreign Minister on the margins of the G8 Outreach meeting. (ANI)