New York/New Delhi: Amid the possibility of a meeting with his Pakistanii counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi early next week, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Friday stressed there was no alternative to talks with Pakistan and said he was ready to discuss all issues, including Kashmir.
"Everything that they want to discuss and everything we want to discuss with them will be discussed," Krishna said in New York.
He was responding to questions on a recent Pakistan Foreign Office statement that there can be no "meaningful, result-oriented" discussions with India on Kashmir unless it stops treating the as its integral part and Qureshi's remarks seeking US intervention in resolving the contentious issue.
Krishna's comments came a day after he had "chance encounter" with Qureshi at the UN, where they greeted each other warmly and talked about the floods in Pakistan.
"Well, I was in Islamabad and we did talk and I have invited Excellency Qureshi to come to India and he has very graciously accepted my invitation," Krishna said. "I am looking forward to hosting him in Delhi... and the dates have to be worked out."
Krishna's remarks have brightened the possibility of a substantial bilateral meeting with Qureshi, likely early next week. Indian diplomats have yet to confirm any bilateral meeting, with sources in New Delhi only saying nothing has been fixed as yet.
If it happens, it will be the first meeting between the two ministers since the July 15 talks failed over clashing perceptions about the scope of the talks and Pakistan's insistence on a time-line for resolving complex issues like Kashmir.
Krishna and Qureshi are going to be under the same roof at several ministerial meetings next week, including that of of the SAARC countries and the Non-Aligned Movement.
India has rejected Pakistan's renewed bid to internationalise the Kashmir issue by turning down any third-party intervention in Kashmir. But despite these rhetorical exchanges on Kashmir, Krishna underlined that talks would continue. "India wants to keep Pakistan engaged in talks because we do not see any other alternatives...talks are the only way to take this forward," he said.
Qureshi, who is also in New York to attend the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, has repeatedly raked up the Kashmir issue in the last several days, seeking international intervention.
"The United States, as the world leader, has special responsibility towards finding a just and peaceful solution of Kashmir," Qureshi said at the Asia Society, while describing Kashmir as a "festering sore of South Asia".
Qureshi, however, showed signs of toning down, when he said later that the US could play a "facilitating role". "I know India is allergic to third party intervention. They (US) can play a facilitating role but ultimately...we have to see what Kashmiris want," he said.
India has hit back and asserted that Islamabad is in illegal possession of certain parts of Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to first vacate this before advising New Delhi.
"As far as Pakistan is concerned, they are in illegal occupation of certain parts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is desirable that they vacate that first and then start advising India about how to go about doing things in Kashmir," Krishna said early this week.
India had also strongly objected to the statements on Kashmir made by the Pakistan Foreign Office last week and in the two houses of the Pakistani Parliament - the National Assembly and Senate - on Tuesday, alleging human rights violations there and calling for international intervention.
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