Author: Agencies
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: May 8, 2003
Sinha, Kasuri row over C "Wealth
issue simmers
Giving a cautious response to Pakistan's
confidence-building measures, India today said that it could consider these
steps "in due course" and on seeing evidence of Islamabad taking "firm
and credible" action to stop cross-border terrorism and dismantle terrorist
infrastructure.
With US Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage expected to hold talks with Pakistani leaders on Thursday,
India made it clear that "several specific steps would need to be taken
by Pakistan to move this process meaningfully forward".
"We, on our part, remain fully committed
to improving relations between the two countries" and resolving all issues
"bilaterally as provided for in the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration,"
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sama told reporters here.
He said that the measures announced
by Jamali "can be considered in due course as we see progress on the steps
announced by our Prime Minister and there is evidence of Pakistan taking
firm and credible action against cross-border terrorism .00000and to dismantle
the infrastructure of support to terrorism".
Armitage is expected to fly to Kabul
and New Delhi on Friday.
Meanwhile, quibbling continued between
the two sides with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha taking exception
to certain remarks made by his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mohammed
Kasuri during an interview to an Indian television news channel.
Kasuri had voiced un-happiness over
Sinha's reported attempt to scuttle Pakistan's re-entry into the Commonwealth
during his recent visit to African countries at a time when Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee had initiated the peace move. Sinha declined to react
when the channel sought his comments on Kasuri's remarks.
