Pakistan and India have agreed to hold defence secretary-level talks on the issue of the Siachen glacier, the highest battle ground of the world, on April 6-7, English language daily Dawn reported. The talks, at which the defence secretaries of the two countries would be assisted by their directors-general of military operations (DGMOs), would take place in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The meeting will also be attended by officials of the two foreign ministries and other relevant departments. The last meeting on the issue was held in May 2006. The next meeting assumes special significance as it would signal whether the two sides succeed in breaking ice on the issue that could pave the way for the Indian prime minister s visit to Pakistan, the report said. The talks would focus on the proposals for the settlement of the conflict recently exchanged by the two sides, and on narrowing differences. Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri recent disclosed that a lot of work had already been done on the Siachen issue and stated that given the political will it could be resolved within days. He said Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan during the talks in New Delhi in November 2006 had handed over a detailed plan in this regard to his Indian counterpart. Kasuri asserted that the package addressed concerns of both the sides. The Indian foreign secretary recently acknowledged that the two countries had been looking at a common set of ideas , which both sides had brought to the table. We are hopeful. Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan has said, 2007 is a critical year that can prove to be the watershed. some 5,000 to 6,000 Pakistani and Indian troops are deployed in Siachen. It has been peaceful in the region since a ceasefire agreement between the two countries in November 2003. Pakistan has been pushing for an agreement on disengagement and redeployment, demilitarisation, monitoring and verification mechanisms. However, India has been insisting on authentication of the existing positions of troops, which Pakistan opposes as it believes this would amount to endorsing the Indian aggression.
