Talks with Pak not possible till terror ends: India

NEW DELHI: The second Indian heads of missions meet kicked off on Monday with foreign minister S M Krishna reiterating that it is not possible for India to have meaningful talks with Pakistan at this stage because Islamabad has not done enough against terrorism. Krishna, however, added that India would like to address its differences with the neighbouring country through dialogue.

While the recent Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement did not come up for discussion on the first day, India's senior diplomats are expected to engage in an "interactive" session to review neighbourhood policy. There has been a demand from many Indian ambassadors for greater clarity on India's neighbourhood policies, which they have to defend in the countries they serve.

The ambassadors' conclave is also expected to discuss the impact of the global financial crisis, Asia-Pacific security (which is a euphemism for China) and a session vaguely named India 2020.

Apart from the foreign minister, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and Kapila Vatsyayan also addtressed the envoys. They also had a long session with National Security Adviser MK Narayanan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Ahluwalia and commerce minister Anand Sharma are expected to address the diplomats on Tuesday.

In his session witt the envoys, Narayanan focused on India's relations with the US, particularly the opportunities and challenges with the new Obama administration. The general consensus at the end of the discussions was that the jury was still out on whether the quality of engagement with the US would improve in the Obama years or not.

Krishna, in his address, said the new dialogue architecture would reflect the increasingly global character of bilateral dialogue between the two countries. "India's established capabilities in high technology and our unimpeachable record of using these technologies in a responsible and transparent manner are creating opportunities for upgrading our access to high technology from the major powers,'' he said.

On Pakistan, Krishna continued, "We have maintained that a stable Pakistan at peace with itself and the region is a desirable goal. We wish to address our differences with Pakistan through dialogue."

"At the same time, we made it clear that a meaningful dialogue will only be possible following the fulfilment by Pakistan of its commitment not to allow its territory to be used for terrorist activities against India,'' he added.

Earlier, welcoming the envoys for the conference, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao in her opening remarks spoke of the role, the agenda and the challenges confronting Indian diplomats.