Indo-Pak Foreign Ministerial talks on Friday

New Delhi, June 24 (PTI) - In the backdrop of Pakistan's
readiness for "grand reconciliation" on outstanding issues,
Foreign Ministers of the two countries will meet here this
week to take the peace process forward and discuss ways to
bring about "full normalisation" in their ties.

Terrorism, Kashmir and various confidence building
measures (C.B.M.s) are expected to figure prominently in the
talks that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will
have with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi
during the latter's three-day visit from Friday.

The talks, marking second high-level contact between
India and the new Pakistan government in a month, will focus
on ways to take forward the peace process and dialogue process
and are expected to consider various proposals in this regard.

After his talks with Mukherjee in Islamabad last month,
Qureshi had said Pakistan is willing for "grand
reconciliation" on outstanding issues which need to be
resolved through dialogue with "self respect and dignity".

On Kashmir specifically, he had said Pakistan is ready
for "innovative ideas" to resolve the vexed issue even though
Islamabad wants the matter to be addressed through U.N.
resolutions and taking aspirations of Kashmiris into
consideration.

In the backdrop of these statements, the Foreign
Ministers will be discussing ways to resolve the issue during
the upcoming talks.

At the talks, the two sides are expected to consider
various C.B.M.s, including launch of truck service between
Srinagar and Muzaffarabad and opening of more routes for
cross-LoC bus service.

While India maintains that C.B.M.s are crucial steps for
improving bilateral relations, Pakistan wants the engagement
to go beyond confidence building measures and focus on
"dispute resolutions".

Mukherjee and Qureshi are expected to discuss terrorism
and explore possibilities of collaboration in fighting
the problem.

Significantly, the new Pakistan government has started
acknowledging terrorism as a "common menace" for the two
countries and voiced the need for working together to fight
it.

India has been for long trying to convince Pakistan that
terrorism is a problem for the two countries and both should
fight it.

Prior to the Foreign Ministerial talks, the A.T.M. will
meet in Islamabad tomorrow during which the Indian side is
expected to furnish evidence about cross-border linkages to
various terror incidents, include Ajmer and Hyderabad bomb
blasts, that took place in this country.

This will be the third meeting of the mechanism, set up
in November 2006 in the aftermath of serial blasts in Mumbai
trains.

Qureshi is also expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition L
K. Advani during his three-day stay here. He will also travel
to Ajmer, Jaipur and Chandigarh. PTI