Gilani, Singh to thrash out plan to boost ties

COLOMBO  - The premiers of Pakistan and India will thrash out a plan this weekend to improve ties strained by border clashes and bomb attacks on Indian targets, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister said Thursday.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters that he and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee had “agreed mutually” that their prime ministers “will come out with a comprehensive statement on (future) bilateral engagement.”

Qureshi was speaking after the pair met behind closed doors to lay the groundwork for Saturday’s talks between Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Colombo.

He added that his talks with Mukherjee had helped “clear the air” between the two nuclear-armed rivals which have fought three wars, two over the disputed Occupied Kashmir.

“A lot of steam had been let out of the pressure cooker. The dish we’re going to cook is going to be for the betterment of the region,” he said.

The talks between Gilani and Manmohan will mark the highest-level interaction between the two countries in 15 months.

Qureshi said that the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India was in the interest of both countries. He said Pakistan respected the ceasefire because both Pakistan and India gained from mutual restraint.