Thursday, December 1 2005 13:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Dec 01, 2005) said all differences of opinion in the Sino-Indian border dispute will be 'tackled' when special representatives of the two sides work out the actual delineation and demarcation of the boundary between the two countries.

Singh, who is now in charge of External Affairs, assured SP member Shahid Siddiqui in Rajya Sabha that all issues pertaining to the vexed dispute would be looked into.

An agitated Siddiqui had sought the clarification from the Prime Minister on whether the issue of areas of Kashmir ceded by Pakistan to China would also be discussed by the two nations after the Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed refused to comment on the query. "It will be difficult for me to give a categorical answer. What is happening is discussions are going on. The two representatives appointed by the Prime Ministers of India and China are going through various stages", the Prime Minister said during the Question Hour.

He said the first stage was laying down the broad principles that should go with regard to delineation of the border, which has been completed.

He said the two countries signed a broad framework agreement during the recent visit of the Chinese Prime Minister to India.

"Now the next step is the special representatives to work out the agreed framework or actual delineation and demarcation of the boundary", the Prime Minister said adding "whatever difference of opinion, where there is a dispute, they will all be tackled".

Earlier in his reply, Ahamed said no time frame has been fixed for the final settlement of the boundary question between India and China.

He said so far six rounds of talks have taken place and the next round is scheduled to be held in New Delhi.

"Both India and China have expressed the conviction that an early settlement of the boundary question will advance the basic interests of the two countries and should, therefore, be pursued as a strategic objective", Ahamed said.

He said based on the first five rounds of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China on the boundary question, both sides signed the "Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question".

It was signed on April 11, 2005 during the visit of the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to India.

The sixth round of talks between Special Representatives of two countries was held in Beijing from September 26-28, this year, which marked the beginning of the second phase of negotiations.