New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear that talks cannot take place until Pakistan ends "terror-induced coercion". Singh asserted that India wants to engage with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues and was "not afraid" of discussing Kashmir.
Addressing the media after the bilateral talks between PM Manmohan Singh and the US President at Hyderabad House in the capital, the leaders took questions on a range of issues from Pakistan to economy.
PM said India was committed to engaging with Pakistan and resolve all outstanding issues, "including the word-K (reference to Kashmir). We are not afraid of that."
"But it is our request is that you cannot simultaneously be talking and at the same time the terror machine (in Pakistan) is active as ever before. Once Pakistan moves away from terror-induced coercion, we will be very happy to engage productively with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues," PM said.
In his opening remarks, Obama said the two leaders agreed on the need for all nations in the region to take steps that there are no safe havens for terrorists, an apparent reference to Pakistan.
The Pakistan question continued to make US President Barack Obama uncomfortable on an otherwise pleasant three-day trip to India.
Pushing for Indo-Pak dialogue, Obama offered to play "any role" the two countries would like it to do to reduce tensions.
"Kashmir is a longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan. I believe both Pakistan and India have interest in reducing tensions between the two countries," said the US President who is on his maiden visit here.
Emphasising that the US "cannot impose" solution to this problem, he said he had "indicated to Prime Minister Singh that we are happy to play any role the parties think is appropriate to reducing these tensions that is in interest of
the region, the two countries and the United States."
Hoping that "coversations" between India and Pakistan would start over the "next several months and years", Obama said the dialogue may not start on that "particular flash point" but other issues like confidence-building measures to enable the two countries to focus on range of their challenges
and opportunities.
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