Putin to Take Lead in Bringing Foes to Talks

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, June 04, 2002

Putin to Take Lead in Bringing Foes to Talks

Russia and China will put strong diplomatic pressure on the leaders of Pakistan and India Tuesday in an attempt to bring them together for peace talks on the fringes of a regional security summit.

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Russia and China will put strong diplomatic pressure on the leaders of Pakistan and India Tuesday in an attempt to bring them together for peace talks on the fringes of a regional security summit.

President Putin of Russia and President Jiang Zemin of China are scheduled to hold separate, almost simultaneous meetings with President Musharraf, of Pakistan, and Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Indian Prime Minister. Mr Putin is expected to hold "proximity talks", shuttling between the two leaders conveying messages as they sit in separate rooms.

So keen is Mr Putin to "facilitate" contacts -- mediate is a taboo word to the Indians, who insist that they want no international interference in Kashmir -- that his diplomatic team are understood to be lobbying General Musharraf and Mr Vajpayee to sit down for an informal dinner or tea, with serious discussions strictly off the menu.

The two leaders met President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan separately yesterday on the eve of the 16-nation Asian Conference on Interaction and ConfidenceBuilding Measures. Mr Vajpayee said later: "I am glad that tomorrow's summit will also produce a joint declaration condemning international terrorism."

Despite the Russian and Chinese efforts, the prospects for a breakthrough are bleak. One Indian official made clear that his side had no interest in a head-to-head meeting with the Pakistani delegation.

The tone of the rhetoric yesterday indicated that India is maintaining its stance that it will not give concessions to Pakistan without movement from Islamabad on the issue of militant groups fighting Indian rule in divided Kashmir. Delhi claims that they are armed and trained by Pakistan, which denies the allegations, insisting that it provides only diplomatic, moral and political support.

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