Tuesday, April 19 2005 08:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington/United Nations: The US yesterday (Apr 18, 2005) welcomed the joint statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as "tangible breakthroughs" that will allow better people-to-people contacts between both countries.

The agreements outlined in the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Musharraf after their meeting in New Delhi are "tangible breakthroughs that will allow for more extensive people to people contacts and will contribute to improved prosperity," a senior State Department official said.

"We welcome the commitments made over the weekend by India and Pakistan as outlined in their joint statement, including enhanced interaction and family reunification across the Line of Control (LoC), expanding the frequency and type of transport such as bus transport and truck transport they talked about, and also their initiatives for promoting cross-border trade," the official added.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday also said that he was "encouraged" by the declaration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf that the Indo-Pak dialogue has become "irreversible", supporting the efforts by the two countries to advance the ongoing peace process.

Commenting on the wide-ranging discussions between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in New Delhi, Annan welcomed the joint statement, which outlined additional confidence measures aimed at achieving durable peace in the region.

"The Secretary General warmly supports the efforts by India and Pakistan to advance the ongoing dialogue," Annan's spokesman said in a statement.

"He welcomes the joint statement issued by the leaders of the two countries this weekend which outlined additional confidence building measures aimed at achieving durable peace in the region," the spokesman said.