Ajay Kaul Almaty (Kazakhstan): Noting that a "positive beginning" had been made with India, Pakistan today (Oct 22, 2004) expressed the hope that the two countries would "successfully resolve" the "once considered intractable" issues in the coming "months".

Addressing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar said that "symptomatic remedies" to tackle "new threats" including terrorism may remain "cosmetic" till "inequalities and injustice" precipitating these were addressed.

"Two years ago, South Asia was in the grip of heightened tension. (But) the security environment has visibly improved in the recent months with the initiation of a composite dialogue between Pakistan and India," he told the CICA Ministerial Meeting.

He noted that peace and security was an important item on the agenda of the composite dialogue and said, "We are happy that a positive beginning has been made by Pakistan and India."

Referring to the recent meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf in New York, Bakhtyar said it was "very constructive" and augurs well for the peace process between the two countries.