ISLAMABAD, February 13 (Reuters) - The top diplomats of nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India will meet for talks in New Delhi on Feb. 25, the Pakistani prime minister's office said.
India suspended a four-year-old peace process with Pakistan after an attack on the Indian city of Mumbai by Pakistan-based Islamist militants in 2008.
India had been demanding action against the militants it says were behind the assault before the peace process could resume, but this month offered to hold high-level talks despite little progress in Pakistan's prosecution of seven suspects.
Analysts said while no breakthrough on core disputes was likely in the short-term, the renewed engagement between the two sides after more than a year was a good sign.
Investment into India has continued apace despite the tensions between the two countries since Mumbai, and so signs of a detente are unlikely to boost markets. But a slide into conflict would deal a body blow to both economies.
Indian officials say they offered Pakistan open-ended talks on all issues affecting peace and security, emphasising counter-terrorism.
But Pakistan has been pushing for the resumption of the full peace process, which centred on a so-called composite dialogue, covering all problems, including their decades old dispute over the divided Kashmir region.
The two countries' top foreign ministry officials, their foreign secretaries, would meet in New Delhi on Feb. 25, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said in a statement. “(The) Pakistan side should raise all the core issues and impress upon India the need for the expeditious resolution through resumption of composite dialogue,” it said.
“The prime minister directed the foreign secretary ... that his talks with his Indian counterpart should be result-oriented and meaningful,” it said.
The United States has also been urging the two countries to resume engagement to help stabilise the region, especially Afghanistan, where the neighbours have been competing for influence. |
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