The sixth round of India-Pakistan expert-level talks on nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs) ended on Tuesday without any major breakthrough, officials said.
“The talks were positive but there were no results. The positive thing is that they have agreed to continue talks,” an official at the foreign ministry told this newspaper.
“Pursuance to the agreement between the two foreign ministers in New Delhi on July 27, 2011, the sixth round of expert-level talks on nuclear confidence-building measures was held in Islamabad on December 27, 2011,” said an official statement issued after the talks.
Joint secretary (DISA), ministry of external affairs, D.B. Venkatesh Varma led the Indian side and the Pakistani delegation was led by Munwar Saeed Bhatti, additional secretary (UN&EC), ministry of foreign affairs.
“Both sides reviewed the implementation and strengthening of existing CBMs in the framework of Lahore MoU and agreed to explore possibilities for mutually-acceptable additional CBMs,” said the statement.
“The two sides agreed to recommend to their foreign secretaries to extend the validity of the “agreement on reducing the risk from accidents relating to nuclear weapons” for another five years,” it added.
“Both sides will report the progress in talks to their respective foreign secretaries,” the statement said.
The two-day negotiations were held after the countries’ foreign ministers decided in July to resume arms control negotiations, which were suspended after the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed more than 160 people and for which India blamed Pakistan-based militants.
Pakistan and India have fought three major wars since gaining Independence.
They formally established peaceful relations with the signing of the Lahore Understanding in 1999, following nuclear weapons tests by both the neighbours in the previous year.