Kashmir talks focus on security

These are the first substantive talks on Kashmir for three years

Measures to increase security and build confidence topped the agenda on the first day of new talks between India and Pakistan.

Senior officials from both countries' foreign ministries met in Delhi to discuss the dispute over Kashmir.

The meeting was in preparation for a foreign ministers' summit in August.

The talks are the first since a failed summit in 2001 to focus on the disputed territory of Kashmir which is claimed by both nations.

No big breakthrough is expected, but recent confidence-building measures mean the talks are taking place amid a thaw in ties between the two nations.

Among the issues discussed were new international bus routes and the opening of more consulates.

Open mind

Pakistan's Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali resigned on Saturday, but his departure was not expected to have any impact, as President Pervez Musharraf is generally regarded to be in control of foreign policy.

Ahead of the meeting, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar said he intended to "kick-start" the negotiations.

"We have very important business to do. We will certainly approach these talks with great sincerity and seriousness."

The discussions are part of a series of meetings over the next few weeks, taking place amid a distinct improvement in relations between the two nations which have fought two wars over Kashmir since independence in 1947, and came close to conflict again two years ago.

Last Sunday, the two sides agreed to set up a telephone hotline to alert each other of potential nuclear risks and prevent misunderstandings.

They also agreed to continue a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing that has been in place since 1998 - although with the proviso that tests could resume if either country believed "extraordinary events" threatened its interests.

Political will

The BBC's Paul Anderson in Islamabad says that for Pakistan, these latest talks are the first test of India's willingness, now under a Congress-led government, to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Much-hyped peace negotiations three years ago failed over the wording on how to proceed on Kashmir.

Our correspondent says Pakistanis are asking themselves what is going to be different this time, and many ordinary people are pessimistic.

But there are optimists too, who see a new political will in Delhi and Islamabad, coupled with outside pressure, driving the process as never before.