The Hindu : Musharraf pushes West Asia-style roadmap on Kashmir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 05, 2003

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International - India & World

Musharraf pushes West Asia-style roadmap on Kashmir

PARIS July 4 . The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, today pursued his push for a four-step West Asia-style peace roadmap on the Kashmir issue, despite India's rejection of the concept. Gen. Musharraf told reporters in Paris at the end of a four-nation tour that world leaders could help the nuclear-armed rivals resolve their dispute.

"I am fully satisfied, I am very glad that the ice has been broken and there is a move toward initiation of dialogue and normalisation of relations,'' he told reporters.

"Problems only arise when we start talking but we don't talk of Kashmir. This is untenable."

He outlined the four steps as: begin talks; accept Kashmir as the central problem dividing the rivals; "eliminate whatever is unacceptable to the people of Kashmir, for India and for Pakistan"; and adopt a "win-win" solution.

"Can there be more flexibility, can there be more accommodation, can there be more understanding on this issue?".

Last week, Gen. Musharraf suggested a West Asia-style peace roadmap on Kashmir that would include third party mediation, a proposal rejected by India.

But he said there were already third parties working "behind the scenes to encourage this process of dialogue to start," without specifying the parties concerned.

Acknowledging that resolving the dispute through bilateral channels would be preferable, he said: "You clap with two hands; maybe a third hand is not required to clap. But when one of the hands is not coming forward, then you require someone to facilitate." — AFP

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