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No caveats, Musharraf will
end infiltration: Villepin

France on Saturday said Pakistan has assured without any "caveats" that cross-border infiltration into Kashmir will be stopped.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after holding talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, visiting French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Musharraf expressed his full determination to fight terrorism and has given an assurance that infiltration of militants across the Line of Control will be stopped.

Describing cross-border infiltration as the source of tension between India and Pakistan, Villepin said Pakistan's efforts to end infiltration into Kashmir would reinforce Islamabad's position at the international level.

The French minister said: "We want stability in South Asia. Let us be clear, I do not intend to interfere with an issue that must be settled between India and Pakistan."

On the coming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was a "milestone."

De Villepin, however, said it was important that the elections should he held in a "good condition" in the Valley and an atmosphere be created for the people to take part in the polls freely without fear of violence.

He urged India and Pakistan to show special sense of responsibility to initiate steps to de-escalate tensions.

Besides Musharraf, Villepin also held talks with Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Inamul Haq and Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider.

Contrary to speculation in the media ahead of his visit to Pakistan that France would offer to sell frigates and also complete the construction of the three Agosta submarines in Karachi, held up due to a terrorist attack on French engineers working on the project, he made no reference to defence matters.

He lauded Pakistan's role in the fight against terror and said that both Pakistan and France had been the victim of terrorism.

Referring to the May 8 attack in Karachi in which 11 French citizens were killed, he said the attack was aimed at "separating Pakistan and France from each other. But the attack brought the two countries closer."

"Now we are working at top level to trace and punish those who had carried out the terrorist attack," he said adding "we reaffirmed our common determination to continue the fight against terrorism within the bilateral framework between Pakistan and France."

PTI

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu and Kashmir: The complete coverage

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