India, Pakistan ministers continue talks

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 21 (UPI) -- The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan met again Wednesday on the sidelines of an economic forum to discuss peace between the two nuclear rivals.

Meeting in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and his Indian counterpart, Natwar Singh, spent about two hours in informal talks, CNN reported.

Pakistan is hosting the meeting of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

"We talked about cross-border terrorism and infiltration also. We talked on all topics," Singh said.

It was during the SAARC summit last January that former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf agreed to resume talks on various issues, including the state of Kashmir which both countries claim.

"This is a big challenge to both the leaderships to resolve the issue in a way that is satisfactory to them, but, above all, that is satisfactory to the people of Kashmir," Kasuri said.

Singh is making his first visit to Pakistan since his new government came to power in May.

Analysts do not expect a breakthrough in the talks, but admit any talk is a step forward.