New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (Jan 3, 2004) ruled out any bilateral talks with Pakistan during the three-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Islamabad, which begins on January 4.

"We want to give our undivided attention and energy to the success of SAARC," he told Doordarshan in an interview, hours before his departure for Islamabad. "Its success will help resolution of other problems."

Asked if the Kashmir problem could be resolved, the PM said efforts were on and should continue.

"What is needed to resolve the issue is patience. This is because the issue has different aspects. One part of Kashmir is under Pakistani occupation and there is no talk about it. Another portion in the North is no longer a part of Jammu and Kashmir and has been given to a third country. A question could also raise on that. It is a complex problem," Vajpayee said.

He wanted both India and Pakistan to strengthen friendship and work together to resolve the problems. There should be no slackness, he said. "There is no other way."