New York: External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has said that he does not perceive as a setback the inability of both the countries to meet here for dialogue and was looking forward to Indo-Pak talks in New Delhi. "Certainly not," Krishna told PTI in response to a question about whether the inability of both the countries to meet this time around had been a setback.
"I have invited him to come to Delhi after my Islamabad visit and I am looking forward to receiving him in New Delhi so the talks are going to continue," he added.
Both the countries have refrained from blaming each other, but Qureshi has indicated that India changed its minds while Krishna said Pakistan was not prepared to have talks.
"Well it takes two hands for a clap... my Foreign Secretary (Nirupama Rao) was ready... I called in the joint secretary who deals with Pakistan hoping that there would be talks with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan," Krishna said.
"He came here without his Foreign Secretary and well talks didn't happen," he said. "So the question of preparedness will have to be verified isn't it?" Krishna and Qureshi were both in New York to attend the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly and a bilateral meeting was widely anticipated.
The meeting, however, did not take place, apparently because India was put off by Qureshi raising the Kashmir issue at several forums there, including the United Nations. Krishna, however, denied that the spat over Kashmir was the reason for the talks not panning out this week.
"No not at all," he said in response to whether Kashmir had thrown a spanner in the work. "No we are not afraid of Kashmir... he raised it at the United Nations... well India responded to that," he added. Speaking at the General Assembly yesterday, Krishna said that Pakistan must stop its state-sponsored militancy and terrorism in Kashmir.
"Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, is the target of Pakistan-sponsored militancy and terrorism," he said.
Speaking at the UN on Tuesday, Qureshi raised the issue of the "right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people" and a "plebiscite under the UN auspices." Krishna, however, stressed that there was nothing extraordinary new in this strong exchange of words.
"Well, all that he said or I said is a reiteration of whatever positions they have and we have had earlier and we have talked despite those positions, which we have held tenuously," he said. Both the ministers have said that they were looking forward to the next round of talks in New Delhi for which dates have to be set through diplomatic channels. PTI
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