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We are not afraid of talking to Pak: India

July 01, 2009 20:39 IST
Making it clear that it is "not afraid" of talking, India on Wednesday said it expects Pakistan to take "concrete" and "visible" steps against perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and assure New Delhi that such incidents will not recur.

Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Italy last week, said India is "still waiting to know" what steps Pakistan has taken against those behind the November 26 attacks.

He said the date and venue are being worked out between the two countries for a meeting between their foreign secretaries, as directed by the Indian Prime Minister and Pakistan President, to take stock of the steps taken by Pakistan against terrorism directed against India.

"The stated position of India remains consistent that we are not afraid to talk (to Pakistan)," Krishna said when asked whether the recent meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia followed by the meeting between the foreign ministers indicated a thaw in relations.

Singh will meet his Pakistan counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani in Sharm-el Shaikh in Egypt on the sidelines of Non Aligned Movement slated for July 15.

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