Beijing: China on April 22 welcomed as "positive" Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee's initiative to restart talks with Pakistan.
"This is a very positive step and a good gesture. I hope what he proposed will come
true and this needs the efforts from both sides," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Liu Jianchao said in Beijing.
Asked to comment on Vajpayee's statement during his recent historic trip to Kashmir,
Liu said China's position is that tensions between India and Pakistan should be
settled through peaceful negotiations.
"We hope the two parties will demonstrate their sincerity and will sit down for
negotiations as soon as possible so as to avoid the worsening of the situation," the
spokesman said.
Vajpayee said that resumption of dialogue between the two countries depended
entirely on Pakistan's response to the hand of friendship extended by him.
However, he said, the key to the resumption of dialogue would be Pakistan's response
to India's demand that it end cross-border infiltration and terrorism and destroy
terrorist training camps.
PTI
