Both Pakistan and India have expressed the willingness to settle all the bilateral disputes including that of Kashmir with continuing their composite dialogue.

During and on the sidelines of the 25th Council of Ministers meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the two neighbors exchanged views on all bilateral issues and stated their stand clearly to settle the issues through dialogue.

Both sides claimed that they are committed to discussing and settling their disputes and reiterated their determination to push forward the dialogue process starting in February.

Inaugurating the two-day SAARC ministerial meeting Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain stated categorically that Islamabad is devoted to making peace with India.

"I want to assure all members of SAARC and indeed the world that Pakistan is committed to pursuing peace with India," Hussain said, adding his country has embarked upon "making a meaningful effort" to resolve all differences and disputes with India including the issue of Kashmir.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said after the inauguration that political leadership of Pakistan and India need to show commitment to resolving the Kashmir dispute to ensure lasting peace in the region.

The Pakistani leadership, Kasuri said, has shown its political resolve to find an amicable solution to the Kashmir issue and he noted "very encouraging" statements emanating from New Delhi after the change of government there in May.

Kasuri said he was very optimistic about the ongoing peace talks between Pakistan and India and hoped that the political leadership of the two countries would not disappoint the people of the sub-continent.

Kasuri and his Indian counterpart Natwar Singh Wednesday managed to hold a 75-minute breakfast meeting. They reviewed the dialogue process in the past months in a "frank and friendly" atmosphere and discussed the issues of peace and security, Kashmir, nuclear confidence-building measures, opening of consulates in Karachi and Mumbai, increasing diplomatic staff strength at their respective missions and the issue of terrorism.

Singh, who arrived in Islamabad on Monday to attended the SAARC conference, said after his talks with Kasuri that "progress was made on many issues" and stressed that India was ready to discuss with Pakistan the issue of Kashmir, which has triggered off two major wars between the two countries since their partition.

During a 90-minute meeting held Friday in Rawalpindi, twin city of Islamabad, between Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Singh, the two sides discussed all their outstanding issues including that of Kashmir and reiterated their resolve to continue the composite dialogue process.

Musharraf emphasized the need for "simultaneous" progress on all issues and most notably on the central issue of Kashmir.

"It was important to address this issue with sincerity with view to reach a final settlement that accords fully with the legitimate aspiration of the Kashmiris within a 'reasonable' timeframe. It is also important to provide 'comfort' to the Kashmiris as they have the most important stake in the success of the process," said Musharraf.

In a statement issued before his departure for New Delhi Friday, Singh said he and Musharraf held "warm, frank and realistic discussions" and both of them expressed satisfaction with the wide range of contacts taking place at the governmental and non-governmental levels between the two countries.

Singh said he found the attitude of the Pakistani leadership "constructive and positive" and stressed that New Delhi and Islamabad are committed to discussing and settling all the bilateral issues including that of Kashmir to the satisfaction of both sides.

Singh added both sides reiterated the importance of continuing the dialogue process in an atmosphere free of violence and to tackle the scourge of terrorism "with renewed vigor."

Singh expressed his determination to normalize relations with Pakistan. "I leave Pakistan with renewed determination to work with Pakistan, bilaterally, to normalize our relations and to resolve differences while building on our many commonalities," Singh said.

Since Musharraf and the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee initiated the composite dialogue in January, the two sides have worked out a timetable and agenda for the dialogue and held lower-level talks on some technical issues.

To ensure the continuity of the composite dialogue process, Pakistan and India have taken an approach of "step by step" in the past months.

But they will intensify their interaction in the next three weeks to accelerate the peace process with their foreign ministers' rescheduled formal meeting on Sept. 5 and 6 in New Delhi, which is expected to yield some concrete results.

Source: Xinhua