India rules out third party intervention on Kashmir

Brushing aside recent stepped up rhetoric from Pakistan, India today said it was ready to discuss all issues with Islamabad, including Kashmir, but ruled out any third party intervention.

"Everything that they want to discuss and everything we want to discuss with them will be discussed" during Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's possible visit to India for talks, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told PTI here.

He was reacting to questions on recent Pakistan Foreign Office statement that there can be no result-oriented discussions with India on Kashmir unless it stops treating it as its integral part and Qureshi's remarks seeking US intervention on the issue.

Krishna, who is here for the UN General Assembly session, said he looked forward to hosting Qureshi in India.

"Well I was in Islamabad and we did talk and I have invited Excellency Qureshi to come to India and he has very graciously accepted my invitation," Krishna said. "I am looking forward to hosting him in Delhi... And the dates have to be worked out."

Krishna, however, underlined that despite recent statements by Pakistan on Kashmir, talks would continue.

"India wants to keep Pakistan engaged in talks because we do not see any other alternatives...Talks are the only way to take this forward," the Indian minister said.

Separately, Krishna told an Indian TV channel that New Delhi has always "consistently rejected the whole idea (of third party intervention)."

"I think when we are talking to each other, intervention by any other country may not be that appropriate... Well if you were not in talking terms at all, then perhaps intervention by third countries could have been helpful but here the case is quite different.

"We are talking and we will continue to talk and the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said that engaging with Pakistan is one of our concerns and we will certainly keep talking to them," he told 'Times Now' in response to a question.