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Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday formally accepted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's invitation for a summit meeting in Delhi, saying he looked forward to 'sincere and candid' discussions to resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
"Pakistan has always sought to establish tension-free and co-operative relations with India so that our peoples may be able to devote their resources and energies to the task of economic and social development," he said in his letter, which was handed over to Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer by Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi.
Musharraf has proposed four set of dates -- June 20, 25, end June or early July -- for holding the talks. "I am available as soon as we arrive at a mutually convenient date," he said.
Musharraf expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of his proposed summit meeting with Vajpayee, but at the same time declined to appeal to Pak-based militants to halt their operations in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that time had not come to make such an appeal.
In his first media interview after he received the Indian invitation, he told BBC in Islamabad on Monday night, "If both sides come to the negotiating table with open minds, then, I think there should be no hurdle in the settlement of the Kashmir dispute."
He however would not appeal to the mujahideen groups and fighters to halt their operations in the run up to his summit meeting with Vajpayee. "The dialogue process is being started and the time has not yet come to make such an appeal," he maintained.
He said mujahideen groups were also wrong in opposing his visit to New Delhi and sought their support for efforts aimed at finding a solution to the Kashmir issue. He said the Kashmir issue should not be sidelined.
Describing the Indian Government's decision to invite him to New Delhi as a welcome development, Gen Musharraf also showered praise on Vajpayee for taking the courageous decision.
He said Vajpayee deserved congratulations for taking the decision to invite him for talks.
"But I am more pleased over India's realisation that dialogue is the only way to find a solution to the problems," he said.
"It is a bold and courageous step taken by the Indian prime minister. By inviting me to New Delhi, Vajpayee has shown statesmanship," he said and termed India's decision of starting talks as an appropriate and right move.
Replying to a question, he said finding a solution to problems between the two countries was a 'time-consuming process' and in this regard the first round parleys would be very important.
"If both the sides demonstrated a flexible attitude then it would be much easier to continue this dialogue process and find a settlement to the Kashmir dispute," he said.
"Both Pakistan and India have stated positions on the Kashmir issue, and one moves towards the resolution of the issue only when both sides show flexibility in their stated positions," Musharraf said.
He further said both Islamabad and New Delhi should demonstrate flexibility in their stated positions.
"This is the only way to move forward the talks process. We are going to New Delhi with such intention," he said.
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