Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday ruled out talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as the two leaders left for a conference in central Asia.
With feverish international efforts under way to head off conflict between the nuclear foes, Vajpayee offered no hope that the conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan, would produce a breakthrough.
"There is no such plan," Vajpayee told reporters, referring to the prospects of meeting Musharraf at the 16-nation conference. But he said he would give "serious consideration" to talks if there was evidence Musharraf was making good on his promise to curb militant raids into Indian Kashmir.
India has said Vajpayee would raise what he calls Pakistani-sponsored "cross-border terrorism" during the three-day meeting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with both leaders at the conference and is anxious to broker face-to-face talks between the two. Musharraf has said he is willing to talk with Vajpayee at the conference.
Western nations have urged tens of thousands of their nationals to leave the area immediately.
India's defense secretary, Yogendra Narain, told the magazine Outlook that if militants struck again, surgical strikes by India on militant bases would be the "realistic option," not all-out war.
Analysts believe even a limited strike across the border by Indian forces could spark war -- and that faced with overwhelming military odds Pakistan might quickly unleash its nuclear arsenal. India has ruled out first use of nuclear weapons, while Pakistan has not.
Musharraf has sought to ease fears that the standoff with India would lead to nuclear conflict.
"I don't think either side is that irresponsible to go to that limit," he told CNN Saturday. "I would even go to the extent of saying one shouldn't even be discussing these things, because any sane individual cannot even think of going into this unconventional war, whatever the pressures."
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