Vajpayee backed over Agra summit

Right-wing Hindu groups protested against the summit

India's governing coalition has strongly endorsed the position taken by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the recent summit with Pakistan.

Mr Vajpayee briefed the partners of his ruling National Democratic Alliance on Wednesday evening on his exchanges with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Various proposals were discussed but the parties did not reach a closure

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao

Both India and Pakistan have played down the differences over Kashmir which left the summit deadlocked and without a final declaration.

But India has also announced that future discussions with Pakistan would be based on earlier pacts and not on the failed draft agreement the two countries had been working on at Agra.

"Various proposals were discussed but the parties did not reach a closure," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao told journalists.

"We will, therefore, have to begin again on the basis of the existing agreements that are the Simla and Lahore declarations, which are the cornerstones of India and Pakistan bilateral relations."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said that all the parties in the governing alliance had praised Mr Vajpayee for not compromising India's security interests at the summit.

Pakistan invitation

There are suggestions, however, that hardliners within the government and outside are unhappy at the course of events.

The leader of the right-wing Hindu Shiv Sena party has warned against Mr Vajpayee visiting Pakistan to continue the dialogue with President Musharraf if Islamabad continued to "foment unrest" in Kashmir.

"If Vajpayee goes to Islamabad while these are going on, the country will go against him," Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said.

The military ruler of Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf, says he is determined to continue the dialogue with India despite not making any substantial progress at the Agra summit.

General Musharraf told the National Security Council and cabinet in Islamabad that he would still pursue talks with the Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He said that an invitation to Mr Vajpayee to visit Pakistan would be issued shortly.

International support

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged both India and Pakistan to persevere with their dialogue efforts and regards Agra as the first step.

The two sides remain committed to dialogue

"It would have been too much to expect major breakthroughs on the difficult issues of substance from a first meeting," Mr Annan said in a statement.

"The fact that the two leaders are talking can contribute to an easing of tensions, especially on the question of Kashmir."

The United States has also said it is encouraged that the two sides remain committed to resolving their differences.

"The two sides were grappling with very difficult issues that have divided them for over 50 years," US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said.

President Musharraf returned to Islamabad late on Monday night after three days of talks.

The two countries have fought two wars over Kashmir and the issue threatened to become a nuclear flashpoint in a conflict in 1999.