Gilani for peaceful resolution of issues with India

Updated at: 1006 PST, Wednesday, July 15, 2009
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said he will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with an open heart and positive mind.

Efforts should be made to build bridges between the two countries instead of erecting walls, he said in response to questions by Indian media persons on his arrival at the Egyptian Red Sea resort regarding the much-anticipated Gilani-Manmohan meeting on July 16 on the sidelines of the NAM summit.

The prime minister said he wanted to improve relations with India and thus would meet the Indian prime minister in a positive spirit. Gilani said he hoped a meeting in Egypt with his Indian counterpart would get peace talks back on track after last year’s Mumbai attacks.

He said the two countries had been “moving in the right direction” until last November’s militant attacks on Mumbai that killed 175 people. He said the attacks, and the freeze that India then put on the talks, had only benefited the militants.

“When there will be more interaction, I think that will pave the way for the composite dialogue and for more interaction with the Indian government,” he said. “I am sure that such interactions would be really beneficial for the country,” Gilani said.