Search the Internet          Tips

No proposal for tripartite talks: Centre

There is no proposal for tripartite talks involving Pakistan on Jammu & Kashmir, but the government is prepared to talk to all terrorist groups, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh hoped "neighbouring countries" would take the government's initiative for talks with the terrorist groups in the "right spirit".

"We will talk to all militant groups, but there is no proposal for tripartite talks. We have started talks with some of the groups," he said.

Asked whether Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prepared for talks with Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, Singh said, "We have no objection to it, provided Pakistan creates the atmosphere conducive for talks."

Asked whether the government sees any role for the United Nations in Kashmir, the minister firmly ruled this out, saying, "We don't see the UN or any other party playing the role of a facilitator between India and Pakistan."

Singh said the 1948 UN resolutions on Kashmir had been overtaken by the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.

PTI

Tell us what you think of this report