Berlin: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that India is craving for peace and stability in the Indian subcontinent, but at the same time it cannot leave the Defence of its borders unattended.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the Indian Ambassador to Germany in Berlin, Vajpayee said he has given peace with Pakistan a third chance.

He said he went to Lahore in 1998 with a message of peace, but the bus to Lahore collided at the Kargil heights and collapsed. "I went to Lahore with the message of peace. It's a different thing that the bus for peace collided at the Kargil heights. Not merely collided but broke into pieces," he remarked.

The talks with Pervez Musharraf at Agra had collapsed because of the unacceptable conditions put forward by the Pakistan President, according to him.

"Talks collapsed, but still we did not accept defeat and have given peace a third chance," he said addressing Indian expatriates in Berlin.

"Some think how India could pursue the path of peace, when it is preparing for its Defence. But we cannot leave the borders undefended," the Prime Minister observed.

"The world is full of contradictions. We crave for peace, but if the other side doesn't want it, we should be prepared to protect the country," he stressed.

ANI