Home »
India » Full Story

| |
'India awaiting outcome of Bush-Musharraf talks'
Sunday, June 22 2003 03:40 Hrs (IST)
New Delhi: Voicing concern over continuing cross-border terrorism, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
on June 22 said that India would await the outcome of talks between Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf
and US President Bush at Camp David on June 24.
"Our concerns are on cross-border terrorism which should stop. Our friends (in the international
community) have agreed with us on this score," Vajpayee told reporters at the airport shortly before
emplaning for a six-day visit to China.
Asked about his expectations from the Musharraf-Bush talks, he said, "Let us see what emerges out of it
and what measures follow."
To a question on China's close ties with Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that he had talked with
Chinese President Hu Jintao in St Petersburg in Russia recently and he was looking forward to holding
wide-ranging discussions with top Chinese leadership including his counterpart Wen Jiabao.
Declaring that India accorded "top priority" to its ties with China, Vajpayee said that his government
wanted to tackle the new challenges and move on the road to progress in co-operation with Beijing.
"I am confident that the visit would have a positive outcome. My message to China is that of friendship,"
Vajpayee, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit China in last 10 years, said.
On the vexed boundary dispute, Vajpayee said, "talks have been taking place with China on this issue
and we want to take them forward.
"While talks are taking place on the border question, we are also focusing on how to move ahead in
other areas of our relationship" with Beijing, he said.
Observing that the two neighbours have developed a wide canvas of mutually beneficial co-operation,
the Prime Minister said, "particularly over the last few years, we have been developing and diversifying
our relations, even while simultaneously addressing our differences".
Vajpayee, who had visited China as Foreign Minister in 1979 and later as a member of a Parliamentary
delegation in 1993, said the world's two largest and most populist developing countries, India and China
needed to remain in close touch on all major issues of global concern.
PTI
What do you think of this article ? Click here to post your views

|
 |
|
More News |
|
|
|