Pakistan Imposes Conditions For Next Round Of Talks

Pakistan has put a question mark on the next round of foreign secretary-level talks scheduled later this month in New Delhi, saying there will be no talks if the clarifications received from India are not to Islamabads satisfaction.

There will be no talks, if the clarifications received from India are not according to Pakistans satisfaction, well informed sources said. Otherwise, it will be ready to hold talks in the middle of September as proposed by India, sources added.

According to sources in the Pakistani government, Islamabads participation in the third round of foreign secretary-level talks is subject to a satisfactory answer from India to its dilly-dallying on setting up a joint working group (JWG) on Kashmir.

These clarifications appear necessary in the wake of the signals carried by the statements emanating from New Delhi, the sources said. Islamabad has asked the Indian high commissioner here to contact New Delhi for clarifications on the Indian position.

If the third round of talks fail to materialize, the issue will be taken up by the Prime Ministers of two countries, who are expected to meet on September 23 in New York, where they will be in connection with the 52nd session of the UN General Assembly.

As long as India is willing to talk and Kashmir is on the agenda, Pakistan will continue negotiations with India, the sources said.

According to them, India wants the Foreign Secretaries to discuss the Kashmir issue when they meet for the next round of talks, but Pakistan says there should be a separate JWG on Kashmir and it should hold separate meetings.

Pakistani officials claim that after having agreed to discuss Kashmir in the foreign secretary talks, India had developed cold feet. Recent indications from the Indian side does point to the fact that the Indian government may be having second thoughts on the agreed mechanism, particularly with regard to the issues of peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

The Indian posture negates the Male spirit. It raises doubts over the whole process of dialogue and New Delhis adherence to the assurances given and understandings reached prior to and during the last round of foreign secretary level talks, the sources added.

According to them, doubts were created by India in recent weeks, although in the second round of the foreign secretary talks in Pakistan in June, the two sides had agreed to take up outstanding issues using an appropriate mechanism, including working groups.

They said the June 23 joint statement specified that the two issues of peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir would be dealt with at the level of foreign secretaries.

The level and composition at which the remaining issues would be dealt are under discussion between the two countries. Once an agreement is reached on the matter, the mechanism envisaged in the joint statement will become operational.

Sources said the foreign secretaries will have a dual function in terms of the agreed mechanism - to deal with the issues of peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir and to coordinate and monitor the progress of working of all the JWGs. They will thus have to have separate meetings for each of these two distinct functions.

They said that Pakistan does not think there is any ambiguity regarding the working of the agreed mechanism, which would lead to meaningful and constructive talks on all issues including Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources said the mechanism envisages negotiations on all the listed outstanding issues including Kashmir. The two foreign secretaries are to coordinate and monitor the progress of all JWGs.

Pakistani officials said that they hope the process of talks would not be derailed and that they have no illusions about the complexity of the work ahead.

According to the sources, Islamabad wants to highlight the Kashmir issue as several top American leaders including President Bill Clinton and secretary of state Madeleine Albright are to visit the region this year and the next.