Nepal summit,The two leaders shake hands
The Indian prime minister has cautiously welcomed Pakistan's offer of a "hand of friendship" at a regional summit in Nepal. The development comes after a week of rising tension between the two countries.
Atal Behari Vajpayee said that he was pleased the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had made the gesture of shaking his hand. But he insisted that it must be followed up by concrete action to clampdown on the militants Delhi holds responsible for attacks on Indian territory.
Speaking at the summit, Mr Musharraf said that his Government was ready to engage in a serious and sustained dialogue with India. President Musharraf said that peace and tranquillity between the two countries was essential for progress in South Asia.
Meanwhile, an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that no "separate substantive meeting" took place between its foreign minister and his Pakistani counterpart at the summit.
However, the official said that the two men had met on a number of occasions under the framework of the summit. Earlier, Pakistan officials said that there had been a meeting between the two foreign ministers.
A bilateral meeting would constitute a diplomatic breakthrough. Troops from both countries are massed on either side of their border, in an escalation of the ongoing dispute over the territory of Kashmir.
India accuses Pakistan of fermenting revolt in Kashmir and blames Pakistan-based groups for an attack on the Indian parliament last month. Pakistan has denied any role in the attack.
