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Siachen Glacier talks end without progress
RAWALPINDI: Two-day talks between the defence secretaries of Pakistan and India ended here on Saturday without substantial progress on the Siachen dispute. However, they agreed to continue discussions to resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner.Sources in the Defence Ministry said that the talks failed due to Indian stubbornness. India has become rather arrogant after getting closer to the US, they said. They said that the Indian attitude was a great disappointment for Pakistan. India had also failed to respond to proposals made by Pakistan in November 2006 during foreign secretary talks in New Delhi, they said, though India had so far not rejected the proposals. The Indian delegation returned soon after the talks ended. No joint statement was issued. A brief statement issued here by the Foreign Office late evening said that the defence secretary talks were held within the framework of the composite dialogue, in Rawalpindi on April 6-7. The Pakistan delegation was led by Defence Secretary Kamran Rasool, while the Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt, and the discussions were held in a candid and constructive atmosphere. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the November 2003 ceasefire between the two countries, which is holding successfully, said the FO statement. It said that the defence secretaries agreed to continue the discussions to resolve the Siachen dispute in a peaceful manner. However, the sources said that no dates were set for future talks on the issue. Posted by: John Frum 2007-04-08 |
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