Islamabad: Lauding Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for displaying "statesmanship" in offering talks with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri has proposed that both sides meet at the foreign office level and start talks "tomorrow" (April 26).

"We welcome their statement. We believe they have demonstrated statesmanship, particularly in the context of arrogant and tough statements which have been coming," he told BBC Hindi service.

"Rather I would like to say that very belligerent statements were being made by several Indian Ministers," he said referring to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha's statement that Pakistan was a "fitter case" for a pre-emptive strike if possession of weapons of mass destruction, export of terrorism and absence of Democracy were the criteria.

Kasuri said, talks should resume without pre-conditions. "Suppose we say India should first accept the UN resolution and then we shall talk to them, it means we do not want to hold talks. I do not make any kind of bogus offers," he said adding, "We should both meet at the Foreign Office level and start the talks tomorrow."

About Vajpayee's offer of talks, he said, "I think he has displayed statesmanship by distancing himself from those statements. I want the same amount of peace as is reflective from the statement of the Indian Prime Minister. In no case we shall lag behind him, but the threat is great."

He said, ultimately the people of India and Pakistan are stakeholders in any peace process. "It appears that the elite of these countries are making decisions. It is a wrong thing. The stakeholders are the masses."

PTI