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Straw's peace mission shows no sign of making headway

On his return from Islamabad on Saturday night, he held a second round of talks with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha lasting two-and-a-half hours.

Tonight's parleys at the Hyderabad House continued over t for home at the end of his third visit to the region this year to help ease Indo-Pak tension. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra was also present at the talks.

Significantly, Straw did not meet Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad unlike the former's previous trips in the last six months.

The British foreign secretary sidestepped a question whether he was disappointed about not meeting Musharraf, saying "I came to the region to meet the new foreign ministers in India and Pakistan."

"Obviously we want a permanent end to infiltration ... more needs to be done," Straw had said at the hastily organised press conference at the Chaklala air base near Islamabad after nearly three-hour-long talks with his Pakistani counterpart Inamul Haq.

"Since my previous visit and the visit of Richard Armitage (US deputy secretary of state), the level of infiltration has come down and we welcome it," Straw had said before emplaning for New Delhi.

PTI

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