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Sharief dashes plea to G-8 leaders to 'avert conflict'

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief issued a plea today to Group of Eight leaders to help avert a ''conflict'' by taking a role in resolving his country's dispute with India over Kashmir.

In a letter to the leaders of the industrialised world attending the G-8 summit Sharief said its leaders ''individually and collectively must play a positive role to resolve the crisis and avert a conflict.''

According to a foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad, Sharief also sent a special envoy to Cologne to drum up support for Pakistan's version of events in Kashmir.

In his letter Sharief said escalating tensions along the Kashmir border is proof that the ''outstanding issue of Kashmir'' is a threat to peace in a region dominated by two nuclear powers.

''Kargil has underscored the centrality of the Kashmir dispute which has always been recognised as the root cause of tension and conflict in South Asia,'' said the letter.

Sharief urged a fresh round of talks between India and Pakistan.

He also warned that support for India on the Kargil issue could encourage India to justify its escalation and belligerence.

''The G-8 must instead adopt a constructive and solution-oriented approach that would contribute to preserving and promoting the cause of peace and stability in South Asia,'' the letter added.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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