India and Pakistan end talks without breakthrough

ISLAMABAD - Nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India have ended two days of talks, saying they had narrowed some differences and agreed a rough schedule for future discussions but made no significant breakthrough.

A joint statement after the meetings between Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar and Indian counterpart Shyam Saran on Tuesday reported no progress towards a solution of the issue at the heart of their rivalry, the divided Himalayan state of Kashmir.

In the Islamabad talks, the two sides also failed to complete an agreement to notify each other formally before testing ballistic missiles, although the statement said they had narrowed their differences and agreed to work towards early finalisation.

The statement said the foreign secretaries had agreed that meetings on six issues, including border disputes, counter-terrorism and drug trafficking, and economic cooperation should take place on dates to be agreed between April and June.

They also agreed that meetings on trade and border security and more dialogue to build confidence on their nuclear and conventional arsenals would be held between January and June.

The statement confirmed that foreign and prime minsters of the two countries would meet at the South Asian summit in Dhaka next month and that Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh would visit Islamabad in February.

The foreign secretaries, meanwhile, planned to meet again between July and August to review overall progress in the peace process, which was relaunched last January.

Tuesday's talks on Kashmir lasted just an hour. As expected, they produced no breakthrough given that the sides remain far apart on an issue that has caused two of their three wars since independence in 1947 and nearly triggered a fourth in 2002.

"This is obviously a very complex issue. We will need some time to deal with this," Saran told a news conference after the talks, adding that Pakistan needed to do more to prevent Islamic militants crossing into Indian-ruled Kashmir.

The two sides did agree to promote more contacts between the local military commanders along their border and Saran said India had proposed setting up five points along the military line dividing Kashmir to allow the reunion of divided families.

However he said more talks were needed to iron out differences on travel documents to allow the proposed opening of a bus service between their two sides of the territory.

The statement said the officials had agreed that discussions on Kashmir should continue in the light of a joint statement by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York in September.

The two leaders said then they should explore options for a peaceful negotiated settlement to the dispute "in a sincere spirit and purposeful manner", but progress has proven elusive.

Islamabad, which wants progress on Kashmir in tandem with other issues, has suggested demilitarising the territory while a compromise is sought over its status. It says this could include joint control, some form of UN control, or independence.

But India rejects any redrawing of its borders or further division of the territory

The South Asian neighbours have nevertheless come a long way in patching up ties since going to the brink of war after an attack on the Indian parliament in late 2001 that India blamed on Pakistani-backed Islamic militants.

Diplomatic ties have been normalised, with some rail, road and air links restored and sporting ties resumed. A truce along the military line dividing Kashmir has held for over a year.

- REUTERS