Pak, Indian officials meet to decide talks agenda, dates

NEW DELHI (Agencies) Pakistans High Commissioner Shahid Malik met Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Friday to discuss the agenda and dates for high-level bilateral talks between the two countries likely later this month.
India has come under international pressure in recent months to re-engage Pakistan and help the West stabilise Afghanistan, where the two countries are involved in a proxy battle for influence.
Indian officials said India had offered open-ended talks on all outstanding issues affecting peace and security, emphasising counter-terrorism. They said the meeting was constructive and they were waiting for Pakistan to get back with a date.
In the background, South Block officials said the two sides were looking at the possibility of a meeting in February itself, and that the venue was not an issue.
The move could have ripple effects on the battle against militants in Pakistan and efforts to get Islamabad to go after the Taliban, by reducing its logic of keeping massive forces on the eastern border with India.
Pakistans Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir is likely to come to New Delhi for talks with Rao in the next few weeks, informed sources said.
This will be the first meeting between the two foreign secretaries since they met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September last year.
All relevant issues will be discussed, including counter-terrorism, Indian government sources said.
I will get back to my Foreign Office, my government on the discussions that I held ... We have to find a mutually convenient time and a date, Pakistans High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, said after meeting Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
Pakistan has called for resumption of the broader peace process called the Composite Dialogue on a range of issues, including disputed Kashmir.
Dialogue is the only way forward ... we are not getting into detail. All possible issues which are of concern to Pakistan or India will be discussed, Malik said.
Kashmir is an issue we have been raising with India at every possible opportunity and forum.
Terrorism would certainly be one of the areas of discussions because we have issues relating to terrorism and this is something that affects Pakistan, he said.
India expressed satisfaction over the meeting between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik, and said that it is looking forward to the resumption of dialogues with Pakistan.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said: The discussions were positive, the discussion were constructive both Foreign Secretary and High Commissioner discussed the issues related to the upcoming meeting at the foreign secretary level in detail.
We are waiting a reply from Pakistan and a relevant date for the resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, he added.