Sunday, July 3 2005 16:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Advocating flexibility by both India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue, President Pervez Musharraf has said Confidence Building Measures between the two countries should go in tandem with some tangible headway on the long-standing problem which cannot be "left for long."

At a briefing by the Pakistan Foreign Office on Indo-Pak peace process, Musharraf said the country wants peaceful coexistence with all its neighbours, including India, and is sincerely pursuing dialogue in a bid to resolve all disputes obstructing the normalisation of ties.

He, however, said that Pakistan would not show unilateral flexibility on its stand on Kashmir. "The two countries would have to be flexible in their positions on Kashmir to facilitate current talks".

"The Confidence Building Measures should go in tandem with some tangible headway on Kashmir because the longstanding issue that has bedevilled relations cannot be left for long," he was quoted as saying by local online newsagency during the briefing.

He also said that the recent visit of Hurriyat leaders to Pakistan would contribute a lot to the peace process.

Musharraf along with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who also attended the briefing, decided that the Kashmir issue should top the agenda of Aziz's visit to the United States later this month.

During the visit, the US Government should be asked to persuade India to accept the inclusion of Kashmiri leaders in the Pakistan-India dialogue, local newspaper 'Daily Times' quoted the two leaders as saying.