Tuesday, August 30 2005 10:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Asserting that India and Pakistan peace talks are moving ahead towards resolution of Kashmir, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has said he saw the beginning of the end of Kashmir and Palestine issues which could pull the rug under the feet of extremism and terrorism.

"Resolving political disputes is clearly the most important element (in war against terror). Failure is no more an option. Political disputes lie in the core of the core. We cannot fail. Palestine and Kashmir are very ripe for solution that will pull out the rug from under the feet of extremism and terrorism. One sees beginning towards end on both Palestine and Kashmir," Musharraf told an international seminar on global terrorism here yesterday (August 29, 2005).

"As far as Kashmir is concerned, Pakistan and India are bilaterally moving ahead. I am optimistic and I only hope we keep moving ahead and resolve it," he said.

On the Palestinian issue, he said Pakistan supported the Israeli initiative to pull out of Gaza and determined execution of the plan.

"Therefore, the leadership in Pakistan and India and Israel and Palestine and all the stakeholders involved in facilitating the resolution of the disputes, one can only hope," he said, adding, political disputes forming the core of terrorism should be resolved for durable world peace.

"We must address terrorism holistically and get to the roots, otherwise we will be tampering around political disputes that lie at core of the core, failure is no more an option and their resolution will pull the carpet from under the feet of extremism and terrorism," he said.