SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGED BY PROGRESS IN INDIA, PAKISTAN DIALOGUE

SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGED BY PROGRESS IN INDIA, PAKISTAN DIALOGUE

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is greatly encouraged by the steady progress being made in the bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan.  He is heartened by the agreement reached at the latest round of talks in Islamabad at the level of foreign secretaries on a schedule of meetings for the coming several months and the commitment reiterated to discuss and arrive at a peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides and the people concerned.

The Secretary-General considers these very positive developments as evidence of the determination of the two countries to settle all outstanding issues and to open a new era of cooperation and peaceful coexistence.  Once again, he encourages both sides to remain steady in this course and to approach the more difficult stages of the talks in a spirit of compromise and visionary statesmanship.

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