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India-Pakistan agreement moves peace efforts ahead

By Times wire
Published April 18, 2005

NEW DELHI - The leaders of India and Pakistan agreed Sunday to accelerate measures aimed at promoting trade and normal relations, adding momentum to peace efforts but yielding no tangible progress on the volatile issue of Kashmir.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, met in the Indian capital for two hours. The two governments made no discernible progress toward a resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the cause of two wars between them, and concentrated instead on confidence-building measures of the sort they have pursued since starting a peace process in January 2004.

They agreed to set up a joint business council, complete a new rail link, move forward with technical discussions on a water dispute involving a new dam in the Indian side of Kashmir and accelerate efforts to wind down a military confrontation on the Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas, Indian officials said.

They also discussed ways to further open the de-facto border, called the Line of Control, that divides mostly Muslim Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

WASHINGTON - Concluding two days of talks, finance officials from the leading economic powers pressed ahead Sunday on efforts to wipe out poor nations' debts and hoped to complete a deal later this year.

Officials insisted they were making progress. But international aid groups, disappointed by the failure to finalize an agreement this weekend, accused the major industrialized countries of dragging their feet and said further delay could worsen the plight of the world's poorest people.

[Last modified April 18, 2005, 00:53:06]