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June 26, 2001
2130 IST

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'Summit may lead to troop withdrawal from Siachen'

The forthcoming India-Pakistan summit may result in an agreement by both sides to withdraw from Siachen, an intensely contested glacier in Kashmir, a report in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn said on Tuesday.

"The two sides have realised that the Siachen engagement is contributing significantly to tensions between the two countries as well as costing them huge amounts in terms of men, money and material," it said.

Quoting military sources, the daily said that initially the focus would be on withdrawing forces from Siachen and halting skirmishes along the Line of Control.

Indian diplomats in Islamabad, however, said they were unaware of any such proposed agreement.

Pakistani military officials also were not immediately available to comment on the issue.

The daily said a complete consensus has emerged among Pakistan's corps commanders to resolve differences between the two countries.

The daily quoting the sources said nobody should expect a resolution of major problems during the summit. "But it will be a breakthrough if both sides agree to continue talking."

About the prospects of talks, the sources said, Musharraf was ready to "sell anything and buy anything" to achieve peace with India.

"Musharraf and Vajpayee have had telephonic discussions three times recently. Both agreed it was becoming difficult to sustain their huge armies due to their economic problems for which it was necessary to sit and negotiate and come to terms," the daily said, quoting a source.

ALSO SEE:
The Indo-Pak Summit 2001

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