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CNN Live Today

Russian President Tries to Get Leaders of India, Pakistan to Meet

Aired June 03, 2002 - 12:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to get the leaders of India and Pakistan to meet face to face at an Asian summit in Kazakhstan.

CNN's Matthew Chance is in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where a lot is now riding on Russian diplomacy -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. A lot is indeed riding on Russian diplomacy and on the diplomacy of other countries here in the Kazak city of Almaty. The Indian and the Pakistani leaders are here in the same place, here at the same time. But such is the bitter relationship between the two countries that there is no guarantee whatsoever that they are going to meet, despite a great deal of hope and anticipation not just here, but around the world, that they will do in order to at least try and bring to an end or at least try to ease the tensions between them over the sensitive issue of Kashmir.

Indian officials, though, at this stage, do appear to have ruled out any possibility of that at this stage, saying they're not prepared to speak to Pakistani officials until they demonstrate an ability to crack down hard on militants who are moving away from Pakistani- controlled territory into Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan, for its part, says that it is prepared to talk and has accused India of warmongering, saying that it is not reciprocating the measures which it says Pakistan has demonstrated, the measures, the offerings towards peace in the last few weeks and the last few months indeed.

So it does on the surface appear that there is not a great deal of hope. But much of the progress, if there is to be any, is likely to be made on the fringe meetings. The meetings to be held between the various diplomatic missions here, the various delegations from countries all over Asia -- and there are 16 countries here -- and separately with India and Pakistan to try to get the two sides to sit down around a negotiating table, at least to try and start the protest of easing tensions in the region.

Back to you -- Carol.

LIN: Matthew, Russia actually has some historical precedent here in trying to bring these parties together. What is it that Vladimir Putin is going to try to specifically do to try to get the president of Pakistan and the prime minister of India to speak to one another here?

All right. I think Matthew Chance has lost his ability to hear us here in Atlanta. We're going to get back to Matthew later on.

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