By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan and India are set to resume high level dialogue after seven months in Islamabad on Tuesday, officials said.
The Ministerial level review of the Fourth Round of Pakistan-India Composite Dialogue will be held in Islamabad on 21 May, the Foreign Ministry said.
It will be preceded by the Foreign Secretary level review meeting on 20 May.
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister of India, and Mr.
Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Secretary of India, will be visiting Islamabad for this purpose.
During his stay in Islamabad, External Affairs Minister Mukherjee will hold talks with the Foreign Minister and also call on the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The review meetings will help the two sides to assess the progress made in the Fourth Round of the eight segments of Composite Dialogue process and deliberate on how to address the out-standing issues in a more meaningful way.
Both sides will discuss eight segments of the Composite Dialogue including Peace and Security, Confidence Building Measures, Kashmir, Terrorism and Drugs Trafficking, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Promotion of Friendly Exchanges, dispute over the world highest battle Siachen, waters boundaries and the controversial Wullar Barrage President Pervez Musharraf, who chaired a high-level meeting today ahead of the talks, was quoted by TV news channels as saying that he welcomed the resumption of the dialogue between the two countries and hoped it would lead to “some fruitful and substantial” conclusion.
Musharraf, who supervised several rounds of talks with India, was given a presentation by the foreign ministry during the meeting that was attended by Foreign Minister Qureshi, Foreign Secretary Bashir and other senior officials. Musharraf also gave “certain directives on outstanding issues”, TV channels reported.
Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said, “We are committed to the peace process and seek a peaceful resolution of all issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”
Mukherjee, who last travelled to Pakistan in February 2007, is scheduled to meet President Musharraf before his talks with Qureshi on Wednesday. He will meet Prime Minister Gilani after the talks.
The Indian minister will also meet PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Nawaz Sharif.