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Vajpayee gets his way, talks extend beyond Kashmir

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office confirm that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in course of his one on one meeting with Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf, pushed the envelope of discussions beyond the 'core issue' of Kashmir that the latter had indicated would be the single-point agenda.

Vajpayee pointed out in course of his talks that durable peace cannot be achieved in Kashmir as long as Pakistan, and Kashmir, remain economically weak and therefore, no lasting results could be achieved without addressing these problems, PMO sources said.

Vajpayee is understood to have told the Pakistan President that if the goal is to normalise relations between the two countries, then the focus has to shift to closer ties in the areas of trade, culture and economy. A single-point focus on Kashmir, the Prime Minister pointed out, is not likely to achieve any lasting results.

PMO sources said that the Prime Minister told General Musharraf that economic stability in the region is a prerequisite for lasting peace between the two countries, and urged the Pakistan President to extend the scope of the delegation-level discussions slated for this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Agra Summit is running behind schedule, but no one is complaining.

Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pakistan President Musharraf caused eyebrows to go up when their one-on-one meeting extended way past the official deadline.

The official programme had the two leaders meeting for anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes, before the delegation-level talks. However, the one-on-one went on for a full hour and 45 minutes.

Only two official record-keepers, one from each side, was present in the main hall where the two leaders met.

General Musharraf began with an ice-breaker, in the form of a compliment to the Taj Mahal. The Pakistan President told Prime Minister Vajpayee that judging by the view he had got of the monument from the window of his room at the Amar Vilas Hotel, the Taj was the most wonderful thing in the world.

Once the cameras and media persons were shepherded out of the conference hall, the two leaders got down to business. And the duration of their meeting has given both delegations cause for hope.

"The length of their talks indicates that Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf have managed to find a meeting ground of ideas," a senior Summit-watcher commented as the two leaders emerged.

A source in the PMO said that the "meeting ended on a very positive note".

While the two leaders met, External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh was similarly engaged in an extensive one-on-one meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar.

Vajpayee and Musharraf, as also Jaswant Singh and Abdus Sattar and the members of the two delegations, then entered the banquet hall for what is being described as a "working lunch".

The Indian and Pakistani delegations, headed by the two leaders, will reassemble at 1400 IST for the next round of talks.

These talks are scheduled to go on till 1600 IST, at which point the leaders and delegations will break in order to permit General Musharraf time to visit the Taj. However, PMO sources say that the delegation-level talks could continue after 1800 IST and, if need be, extend into Monday.

It will be recalled that on Saturday, General Musharraf had said that if the Summit was positive, then he would be willing to extend his stay by another day or two if required.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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