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China for 'rational' solution to Indo-Pak differences

Despite a stalemate at the Agra summit, China on Tuesday hoped that India and Pakistan could find a 'just' and 'rational' solution to their differences, including the Kashmir issue, through peaceful dialogue.

In its first comments on the summit between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Agra, the Chinese foreign ministry described the differences between New Delhi and Islamabad as "a legacy of history" and noted that the Chinese stand on these issues had always been clear.

"China hopes that both India and Pakistan are able to achieve a just and rational solution to their differences, including the Kashmir issue, with the basic interest of both the peoples in mind," foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said when asked to comment on the outcome of the summit.

Meanwhile, the Chinese official media has commented on the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit, saying though the summit ended without an agreement, its significance can hardly be played down.

"Musharraf's visit marked the first summit in the new century between Indian and Pakistani leaders since an undeclared war in northern Kashmir (Kargil) two years ago," the state-run China Daily commented in an editorial.

"Although their differences are too big to be removed in one step, the summit shows they are getting serious about discussing them."

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