Friday, October 16, 1998 Published at 14:01 GMT 15:01 UK
World: South Asia
India-Pakistan talks turn to Kashmir
Entente cordiale? K Ragunath greets Nawaz Sharif
The disputed territory of Kashmir is set to be the focus for the second day of talks between India and Pakistan, who have returned to the negotiating table after more than a year.
Islamabad says that Kashmir should have become part of Pakistan during partition 50 years ago.
Pakistan insists it is only providing moral support for the separatists.
During Friday's talks Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement saying that a "just" settlement of the dispute was vital for relations between the two countries, which sank to a new low following nuclear weapons tests by both sides earlier this year.
The first day of talks broke up without public comment from the two countries other than to say that they were committed to dialogue.
Confidence-building measures, essential for laying the groundwork for relations following the nuclear tests, dominated the sessions between the foreign ministers in Islamabad.
Tariq Altaf, spokesman for the talks, said that the first day had been taken up by both sides attempting to identify areas of agreement.
He added that the two sides, led by Indian Foreign Secretary K Ragunath and his Pakistani counterpart Shamshad Ahmad, had explored "the full range of issues of peace and security, including confidence-building measures".
The talks come after India's Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee met Mr Sharif at the United Nations General Assembly last month.
India and Pakistan are both anxious to see the lifting of economic sanctions imposed in the wake of the nuclear tests and have moved towards agreeing to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.