'India,China trying to develop mechanism to prevent face-offs'

India and China are trying to develop effective mechanisms to prevent the "embarrassing" face-offs between their troops along the "disputed" points of the Line of Actual Control, Defence Minister A K Antony said here today.
Terming the 21-day stand-off between the two sides in Depsang valley in Daulat Beg Oldi area as an "unusual" incident, the Defence Minister said the two countries will meet soon in Beijing to discuss issues and try to find a solution for such "unpleasant incidents".
"Till the final settlement of the border issue, we are trying to find out more effective mechanisms to prevent occasional incidents. There are many points in the LAC that are disputed and they are patrolled by both sides. So, sometimes it leads to some face-off," he told reporters on the 14th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas.

The Minister was asked to comment on the rising incursions by the Chinese troops into the Indian territory along the LAC in Ladakh and Northeastern sectors.
Antony said, "There are disputed points where both sides are going there which sometimes causes some embarrassing situations."
He said after the Depsang incident in April, India and China had "free and frank" talks and "we are trying to have more border personnel meeting places and have more effective mechanisms to prevent such unpleasant incidents."
"On the one side, both sides are trying to find a long term solution to the long pending border dispute. Till that time, our aim is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border," Antony said.