Islamabad: Pakistan's High Commissioner-designate to India Aziz Ahmed Khan on June 2 said he would be taking over his new assignment with "hope and expectation" that the two countries would sit across the table and resolve their problems, including the "core" issue of Kashmir.

Addressing his last weekly briefing before relinquishing the post of foreign office spokesman, Khan, an old India hand said that Pakistan had always maintained that there was a real need for dialogue between the two countries.

"We feel that the negotiation process should start as quickly as possible. We are ready for it whether these negotiations are held at the secretary level, at the political level or at the summit level," he said.

Khan said India would not find Pakistan wanting in responding positively to any suggestion for a meaningful, sustained and result-oriented dialogue.

"There is a fair degree of optimism on both sides and we hope that this process will keep gathering momentum," he said indicating that he would be taking up his new job by the end of this month.

He declined to speculate about the possibility of summit level talks. "I would not conjecture on the summit but I think whenever it does take place, it would be between the Prime Ministers of the two countries".

PTI