India and Pakistan are likely to begin joint-secretary level talks in July. An indication to this effect emerged after Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani met US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House today. The India-Pakistan peace process dominated the talks. While Rice impressed upon Advani the need for an immediate dialogue between India and Pakistan, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Islamabad needed to take effective measures to demonstrate its commitment to check terrorism before the two countries went ahead with the peace process. Advani’s visit and that of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf later this month are part of the US effort to push an India-Pakistan dialogue. Advani is the centre of the US attention because he is perceived to be opposed to any peace talks with Islamabad. Advani, sources disclosed, told Rice that he was not against talks per se, but he felt Pakistan needed to prove its sincerity in fighting terrorism. He told her that if the US exerted pressure on Musharraf, there was no reason for him not to take steps to end cross-border infiltration and dismantle the terrorist network in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He pointed out that Musharraf, who had sent hundreds of Al Qaeda members to the US on demand, was not willing to give even a score of terrorists wanted in India. Sources said that Advani told Rice that he did understand the geo-political importance of Pakistan as a US ally in its war against terror, but the US too should address India’s concerns and tell Pakistan to do the same. Rice, according to them, assured him that the US would persuade Pakistan to respond positively to India’s concerns. The two sides exchanged their views on sharing intelligence on terrorism. As a result of an increased exchange of information between the two sides, the FBI had posted two persons at its embassy at New Delhi, while India had done the same here. Earlier, Advani held a meeting with US Attorney-General John Ashcroft and extended an invitation to him to visit India. Ashcroft agreed to do so later this year. Advani had last come to the US on Ashcroft’s invitation. ENS adds from New Delhi: India today expressed ‘‘wonder’’ at Pakistan’s remarks that New Delhi had been speaking in different voices and setting conditionalities for talks between the two countries. Official sources said statements given by the Indian leadership on New Delhi’s position were very “explicit” and “cohesive”. According to South Block officials, India’s concerns lay in Islamabad’s patronage to elements perpetrating acts of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Putting a permanent end to cross-border terrorism and dismantling the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, sources added, was not a pre-condition but a ‘‘practical necessity’’ for New Delhi. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Masood Khan had earlier in the day said Islamabad was worried by ‘‘belligerent’’ remarks being made by some of the Indian leaders. He claimed that while his country was committed to improving ties with India, several Indian leaders had begun raising conditionalities before sitting across the negotiating table. He, in fact, asked India to get ‘‘its act together’’ and expressed concern at what he referred to as ‘‘internal dissession over normalisation of relations with Pakistan.’’ According to him, Islamabad did not want any pre-conditions and was in favour of an early resumption of dialogue.
