Opinion Editorials, November 2003, www.aljazeerah.info
Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine
Israeli daily aggression on the Palestinian people
Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah
Cities, localities, and tourist attractions
Eid ceasefire must hold fast
Gulf News
25-11-2003
Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's Eid ceasefire offer, coming as it does only months from a key South Asian summit in Islamabad, is aimed at creating the right climate for interaction with arch rival India.
New Delhi welcomed the cease-fire. Its cautious tone stems from doubts on what has been left unsaid – whether India and Pakistan are ready for the next big step, a summit between the two prime ministers.
Any plans for a summit are subject to a number of variables. Chief among them is whether the cease-fire will hold. India has held peace talks hostage to ending what it describes as "cross-border terrorism". With winter snows making the mountain passes impassable, there is a good chance that the celebrations in Uri and Chakothi are not premature.
The hitch clearly is India's reluctance to turn a multilateral forum like Saarc into a bilateral summit. There is some merit in Pakistan's argument. A meeting between the prime ministers in Islamabad is certain to break the ice. It did in Male and Colombo.
But the failed summit at Agra is a pointer to the acrimony that accrues when talks break down. The cease-fire is a key step towards normalisation. Rail and air links, and preparatory talks must now follow.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03). |
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