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US acting as facilitator in Kashmir talks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Srinagar, Jan 30, IRNA -- A top Kashmir leader today disclosed that 
United States was acting as a facilitator in recently held path 
breaking talks his group held with New Delhi. 
Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, a senior leader of Maulana Abbas Ansari 
led Hurriyat Conference told Kashmir Times newspaper in an interview 
Wednesday that domestic compulsions are keeping India and Pakistan 
away from giving credit to Americans for the recent breakthroughs 
regarding Kashmir and Indo-Pak relations. 
In fact, the first contact between the highest policy makers in 
New Delhi and All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership was 
established soon after President Clinton had visited India and 
Pakistan in March 2000. 
However, the then Chairman of the APHC Syed Ali Geelani, who 
along with his colleagues was released from prison at President 
Clinton`s intervention, dispirited such contacts and dampened the 
spirits of interlocutors who included Delhi-based American envoys, 
former foreign secretaries Muchkund Dubey, Salman Haider, and 
persons like late A. M. Khusroo and scores of others. 
The interlocutors in turn stopped interacting with Geelani and 
turned to other Kashmiri leaders. The articulate face of Hurriyat 
and so-called author of the Hurriyat`s road map of peace, Prof. 
Abdul Gani Bhat was one among them. 
He replaced Geelani as chairman of the conglomerate soon after. 
Then started a series of contacts and after years of ground work 
and interaction, a meeting with top Indian leadership finally took 
shape. 
Prof. Bhat acknowledged that the US was acting as a facilitator 
and was behind the peace moves. He claimed that his road map which 
they will present to the Indian leadership in their next meeting in 
March takes care of the interests of both India and Pakistan. 
Accepting that there was a communication gap with Pakistan, he 
stresses that the leadership in Islamabad should review its Kashmir 
policy in terms of the changed global realities and for the sake of 
peace. Excerpts from his free wheeling interview: 
Replying to a question how said change is changeless. A change 
has happened in regard to the mindset as well as attitudes of 
leaders of entire globe. 
This has to have impact on the leadership in the subcontinent. 
The leadership has risen to occasion. In my opinion, we are 
fortunate having two people in India and Pakistan respectively Atal 
Bihari Vajpayee and General Pervez Musharraf. Vajpayee represents a 
vision and Musharraf represents pragmatism. 
IND/214 
End