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Pak seeks Russian mediation

Pakistan has sought Russian mediation to resolve the Kargil conflict, Russian news agencies have reported, quoting an official envoy from Islamabad.

The request by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief was relayed to Russian President Boris Yeltsin by Khurshid Kasuri, Sharief's special envoy for Kashmir, during an official visit to Moscow.

Kasuri also requested that the Russian government and parliamentary delegations visit Islamabad and New Delhi to evaluate the situation.

The envoy said the initial reaction to the request was 'constructive and positive'.

In a meeting with Russian parliamentarians, Kasuri said he believed a compromise solution to the conflict could be reached at the negotiating table.

In view of the nuclear capability of Pakistan and India, a full-fledged war between the two would have a 'catastrophic international effect', he said.

Kasuri was due to travel to a number of European Union countries to discuss their mediation in the settlement of the conflict.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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