NEW DELHI – Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday that top diplomats from Pakistan and India would meet soon to advance peace talks that have moved fitfully because of political tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. Sharif was in New Delhi for Monday's inauguration of India's new prime minister Narendra Modi with whom he had a “warm and cordial” bilateral meeting, he said. “We agreed that our meeting in New Delhi should be a historic opportunity for both our countries,” he told reporters. “This provides us the opportunity of meeting the hopes and aspirations of our peoples that we will succeed in turning a new page in our relations.” “We also agreed that the two foreign secretaries would be meeting soon to review and carry forward our bilateral agenda in the spirit of our meeting today.” India said earlier that Modi had conveyed during the meeting his concerns about militants using Pakistani soil to carry out acts of terrorism in India. Sharif told reporters that accusations and counter-accusations did not help matters. Modi “underlined our concerns related to terrorism” to Sharif during landmark talks in New Delhi on the first day of his term in office, said Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh. “We want peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan. However, for such relations to proceed it is important that terror and violence is brought to an end,” Singh told reporters after the meeting. She added that Modi conveyed the message that Islamabad must “abide by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory it controls being used to stage terror attacks on India”. Sharif, a pro-business industrialist, said, “We should rid the region of instability and insecurity that has plagued us for decades. Consequently, it was important for us to work together for peace, progress and prosperity.” Modi held bilateral meetings with Sharif and other regional leaders who attended his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. In an unprecedented move, Modi invited Sharif and the other leaders to his inauguration, signalling his intention to be a strong regional leader after his right-wing party's landslide general election victory. It gives him a powerful mandate to reach out to Pakistan to try to mend strained relations, which completely broke down after attacks in Mumbai in 2008 by Pakistani militants that killed 166 people. – Agencies
