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The
Meeting of Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan
Date:
September 23, 1998
Place: New York
September 24,
1998
New York
Text of Joint
Statement issued in New York as on 23rd September, 1998
The Foreign
Secretary of India, Shri K. Raghunath, and the Foreign secretary of
Pakistan, Mr. Shamshad Ahmad, met in New York on 23rd September, 1998.
Pursuant to the
agreement set out in para 4 of the Joint Statement issued at Islamabad
on 23 June, 1997, the Foreign Secretaries agreed as follows:-
(i) The mechanism to
address all the outstanding issues listed in para 4(i) of the Joint
Statement would now be made operational.
(ii) As stipulated in para 4(ii) of
the Joint Statement, all the issues shall be addressed substantively
and specifically through the agreed mechanism in an integrated manner.
(iii) All outstanding issues shall
be dealt with at the levels indicated below:-
(a) Peace and Security
including CBMs - Foreign Secretaries
(b) Jammu and Kashmir - Foreign
Secretaries
(c) Siachen - Defence Secretaries
(d) Wuller Barrage/Tulbul
Navigation Project - Secretaries, Water & Power
(e) Sir Creek - Additional
Secretary (Defence)/Surveyors General
(f) Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
- Home/Interior Secretaries
(g) Economic and Commercial
Cooperation - Commerce Secretaries
(h) Promotion of Friendly
exchanges in various fields - Secretaries, Culture
(iv) The detailed
composition of the official teams is left to the discretion of each
side.
The above mentioned
subjects of this composite dialogue process will be discussed at the
indicated
levels in separate meetings. The dates
of these meetings will be determined by mutual consent. At
the each round; the Foreign
Secretaries will hold separate meetings on (a) Peace and Security
including CBMs and (b) Jammu and
Kashmir and review the progress of the dialogue process.
The Foreign
Secretaries will commence the substantive dialogue with separate
meetings on a (a)
Peace and Security including CBMs and (b) Jammu and
Kashmir in Islamabad on 15-18 October, 1998. The remaining six subjects
i.e. (c) Siachen (d) Wuller Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, (e)
Sir Creek, (f) Terrorism and Drug
Trafficking, (g) Economic and Commercial Cooperation, and (h)
Promotion of friendly exchanges in
various fields, shall be taken up in substantive and separate meetings
in New Delhi in the first half of November, 1998. The cycle of meetings
of the Foreign
Secretaries and other concerned
officials on the subjects in the agreed agenda will be continued on this
pattern on agreed dates.
Press Release Issued
By
Navtej Sarna
Counselor (Press, Information & Culture)
Embassy of India
Washington, DC
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