Thursday, May 25 2006 17:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: The Roundtable Conference on Kashmir, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, today (May 25, 2006) affirmed that violence has no place in a civilised society and that all concerned should uphold basic human rights.

A statement adopted at the 2nd Roundtable here said the participants expressed happiness over the commitment of all concerned towards taking the dialogue process forward.

They appreciated the diversity of views that exists on issues affecting the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In an obvious reference to the absence of Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups, the statement said participants hoped that those who chose to stay away from the conference would participate in future meetings.

Endorsing the setting up of five working groups to look into all issues affecting J and K, the participants hoped that these groups would work towards finding common ground and forging a consensus on specific issues through a time-bound result-oriented approach.