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Pakistan And India Foreign Ministers In Diplomatic Spat
BBC NEWS
July 16, 2010: Pakistan's Foreign Minister has criticized the behavior of his Indian counterpart during Thursday's high-profile talks in Islamabad. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters on Friday Foreign Minister SM Krishna and his delegation had not been ready for dialogue. He also said Mr. Krishna had repeatedly interrupted the talks for phone calls from Delhi.
The two foreign ministers said at a joint news conference on Thursday that their day of talks had been "constructive", and agreed to meet again.
But a new picture emerged on Friday as Mr Qureshi told a news briefing: "India is not mentally prepared to engage in a dialogue". He added: "I want to ask the Indian foreign minister, as he is the principal of Indian foreign policy and direction, why he made and received calls from Delhi so many times during the talks." "The Indian delegation had not prepared its agenda," he added.
Mr. Qureshi also accused India of being "selective" and "narrowing the dialogue". He claimed India had refused to talk about Kashmir, which India regards as an inalienable part of India. Mr. Qureshi also accused the Indian delegation of refusing to discuss another bone of contention, the strategically important Siachen glacier.
In a news conference upon arrival at a Delhi airport, Mr. Krishna hit back, denying he had taken policy guidance by phone during the meeting. "I was totally cut off from India," he said. "I never used any telephone. It's an extraordinary statement to make." "I will not score debating points over Foreign Minister Qureshi," he added. "I would like to concentrate on serious issues."
Mr. Krishna also denied his delegation had not been ready for the meeting, saying: "India was fully prepared. Our mandate was clear, there was no ambiguity."
