Indian PM meets Islamic separatists from disputed Kashmir

Australian Broadcasting Company ^ | January 24 2004 | AFP

[knighthawk]

Kashmiri separatists have paid a courtesy call on Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in New Delhi, the first ever meeting between an Indian premier and separatists.

Five moderate members of Kashmir's main separatist group the All Parties Hurriyat Conference went into the meeting at the prime minister's residence at around 6:10pm, reporters at the scene said.

The meeting, which was not expected to be long, follow substantive talks on Thursday between the Hurriyat moderates and Mr Vajpayee's deputy, Lal Krishna Advani.

Umar Farooq, one of the five separatist leaders, overnight told the Press Trust of India that the delegation would convey the Hurriyat's "complete support" to Mr Vajpayee's efforts to improve ties with Pakistan.

"We are going to tell Vajpayee that the beginning he has made in Islamabad, the entire leadership in Kashmir, the people in Kashmir are with the process," he said.

"We intend to see that this dialogue process is taken forward so that even at the India-Pakistan level things will move forward because that does have a direct impact on the situation in the state," he said.

During the ice-breaking talks on Thursday, Mr Advani and the separatists agreed that violence from all sides must end and said the second round of negotiations would take place in March.

[knighthawk]

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