INDIA: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met briefly yesterday for the first time since their nuclear-armed countries came close to war in 2002, and both called for new peace efforts.
Earlier Mr Vajpayee met his Pakistani counterpart, Mr Zafarullah Khan Jamali, for around 30 minutes, half of that time alone, in a gesture of rapprochement on the sidelines of a regional summit.
In a further sign of progress, Mr Vajpayee shook hands with President Musharraf, the country's real power, before a state dinner yesterday. It was not clear if they talked, but officials said they would meet properly today.
Mr Vajpayee used the opening ceremony of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit to call for a "bold transition" to peace after a half-century of conflict and mistrust.
"We have to change south Asia's image and its standing in the world. We must make the bold transition from mistrust to trust, from discord to concord, and from tension to peace," he continued, to applause.
Gen Musharraf echoed his comments. "We must put behind us the tarnished legacy of mistrust, bitterness and tension. We owe this to our people. We have to build courage and show determination to seize the moment and avail ourselves of this historic opportunity," he said, talking of the region as a whole but clearly focusing on India-Pakistan relations.
Two years ago India and Pakistan went to the brink of war over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. But in April, Mr Vajpayee launched a "final bid" for peace in his lifetime. Since then full diplomatic relations have been resumed, a popular bus route across the border was reinstated and, on Thursday, the first Pakistani airliner in two years landed in New Delhi.
During their three-day summit, south Asia leaders are expected to approve a regional free trade deal that is in itself seen as a sign of improving India-Pakistan ties.
The summit has been held amid unprecedented security following two attempts to assassinate Gen Musharraf last month, blamed on militant Muslims opposed to Pakistan's role in the US-led "war on terror" as well as any compromise with India. - (Reuters)