'Decide on Agenda by Tonight, Else Talks are Off': Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan

New Delhi: After Pakistan has cleared that it is ready to meet India and hold the NSA-level talks without any pre-conditions, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a press conference in New Delhi, will clear India's stand on resumption of the dialogue between the two countries.

Here are the highlights from her speech:

• I am leaving for a tour to Egypt tomorrow. So I thought I should clarify the topic which is in discussion.
• Every talk with Pakistan can not be called dialogue.
  The composite dialogue between the two countries was started in 1998 during Vajpayee Ji's government which eight components/wings.
• Vajpayee Ji had invited General Musharraf. But Pakistan refused to talk on the composite dialogue but only talk on Kashmir.
• In Ufa when the two prime ministers met, their was no discussion on the composite or 'Resumed Dialogues'.
• Quoting Mr Aziz, "All outstanding issues including Jammu and Kahmir", was a part of the 'Composite Dialogue', now a part of the 'Resumed Dialogue'. This was not taken up during the Ufa meeting.
• But there was still a constructive outcome of Ufa meeting.
• Terror and talks can't go hand in hand. But talks can't go on in an atmosphere of terror.
• Three meetings were decided during the Ufa talks. One meeting of NSA-level. One of the DGs of the two countries and another of the DGMOs.
• When this agreement was reached in Ufa and the Pakistan PM reached back to Pakistan, he was severely criticised for his dialogue with India. So he decided to do something to compel the NSA-level talks to be canceled.
• We had sent an invitation letter to Pakistan on July 24, a day after the Ufa meeting that the NSA-level meeting will be held in New Delhi on August 23.
• The Gurdaspur attacks happened in which our police officers were killed. A month later Udhampur attack happened in which one of their (Pakistani) terrorist was caught.
• We were under immense pressure to cancel the talks, but we said that such acts of terrorism necessitates us to have the talks with Pakistan.
• To answer Mr Aziz who is saying that India wants to run from the discussion, I want to say this through the medium of this press conference that India is trying to create an environment to resume the dialogue between the two countries.
• We welcome Mr Aziz to come to India and request him to not involve Hurriyat or any third party and only talk on terrorism.
• Why should that stage come when they come here without an agenda and we walk out of the room.
• We are only reminding you that there will be no third stakeholder according to the Simla Agreement that Pakistan has signed.
• The meeting that has been agreed on in Ufa did not have Kashmir on the agenda.
• To Mr Aziz, "If you're willing to come, we welcome you, but come to talk on terror as agreed in Ufa".
• If they are waiting for my press conference, I have only a two-pointer message for them: Please respect the Simla agreement and do not involve any third party; second, as agreed in Ufa, the talks should only be on terror.
• Pakistan has only till tonight to give an assurance that the talks will only will be on terror.
• If Pakistan does not agree, the talks will not happen.