Musharraf Expresses Optimism Over Indo-Pakistan Summit
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, June 28 (News Agencies) - Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, expressed "cautious optimism" Thursday that the dispute with India over Kashmir could be settled in a few months.
Musharraf told reporters in Rawalpindi that the long running conflict over the Himalayan region could be resolved "maybe in months if there is sincerity" on both sides.
The president justified his optimism by saying he had assurances from the Indian government that the discussions would relate to Kashmir.
"I will be disappointed if Kashmir is not the central issue" discussed at the summit.
"The others problems can be easily solved after that," he added.
Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will hold their first summit-level dialogue in the Indian city of Agra from July 14 to 16.
But Musharraf also said he was aware of hardline Indian "Hawks" who have rejected any talks with Pakistan over Kashmir.
India has until now insisted that Kashmir, where tens of thousands of people have been killed since an uprising began in 1989, was an internal matter which did not involve Pakistan.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of funding the campaign in India-administered Kashmir, a charge Pakistan denies.
Muslim-majority Kashmir was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947 but is claimed by both sides. Many Kashmiris favor total independence, while many favor joining Pakistan.
The president declined to outline possible scenarios that could restore peace between the two neighbors but insisted that, "a solution cannot be reached without the Kashmiris."
India on Thursday reaffirmed that Kashmir's main opposition alliance would not be involved in next month's peace summit.
An Indian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the government's position on the participation of the All Party Hurriyat Conference - an amalgam of two-dozen Kashmiri groups - had been conveyed to Pakistan.
Musharraf, who last week proclaimed himself president some 20 months after launching a coup d'etat, denied that his decision to replace Mohamed Rafiq Tarar was connected to the forthcoming summit.
"I have been thinking about this for quite long, and the summit has nothing to do with that.
"I took this decision in Pakistan's supreme interest irrespective of any concern from anywhere," he added in reference to criticism in the West to his unceremonial dismissal of Rafiq Tarar.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.
The nuclear powers were pushed to the brink of a fourth war in 1999 when Indian troops fought Pakistan-backed forces in the Kargil region of Kashmir.
