| Rediff India Abroad Home | All the sections | |
India committed to good ties with Pakistan: President February 25, 2008 11:46 IST Last Updated: February 25, 2008 13:23 IST
India will resume the dialogue process with Pakistan 'when conditions permit', President Pratibha Patil [Images] said on Monday. "We are committed to peace, friendship and good neighbourly relations with Pakistan. A stable and prosperous Pakistan, at peace with itself, is in the interest of our entire region," she said in her maiden address to the joint sitting of the Budget session of Parliament. "When conditions permit we will resume our dialogue process with Pakistan, aimed at building mutual confidence and resolving outstanding issues, premised on an atmosphere free from terror and violence," Patil said. Observing that India attaches 'high importance' to its relations with China, Patil said: "Peace and tranquillity have been maintained on our border with China and both countries are determined that this should continue." The Sino-Indian partnership has been 'further enhanced' and given a global dimension with the signing of a Shared Vision for the 21st Century during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] to China last month, she said. Terming as 'unfortunate' the increase in violence in Sri Lanka [Images], Patil said: "We are clear that there can be no military solution to the ethnic issue. It is necessary to find a negotiated political settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka that is acceptable to all sections of the society."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||