Old rivals India, Pakistan resume peace process

By Kamran Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Top Indian and Pakistani foreign ministry officials met on Tuesday to review their four-year-old peace process that has stalled since domestic political turmoil erupted in Pakistan last year.

The nuclear-armed rivals' foreign secretaries' meeting will be followed on Wednesday by talks between Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

It is the first contact India has had with leaders of a new Pakistani civilian government and analysts in both Pakistan and India said Mukherjee will be sounding out Pakistan's new leaders.

Mukherjee said upon arrival that Pakistan's new democratic environment held great promise and he hoped progress the two countries had made would be consolidated, though that depended on an atmosphere free from militant violence.

"The present environment, I'm sure, will help us in addressing various issues related to peace, stability and economic development," Mukherjee said.

The officials discussed a so-called composite dialogue which covers eight areas including the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir, border disputes, terrorism and economic cooperation.

"Both sides have the will and determination to carry forward the process of improving bilateral relations," Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters after the talks.

No major breakthroughs are expected on their main dispute over Kashmir, but Pakistani analysts hope the talks might set the stage for a visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.