Indian Secretary for External Affairs Shyam Saran said Thursday that there would be no redrawing of boundaries or territorial changes in the Indian- controlled Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference at a hotel in Islamabad after talks with his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan, he said that any mutual agreement on the complex issue of Jammu and Kashmir must enjoy the support of masses of both countries.

He said that Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf had given no dateline for the solution of the Kashmir dispute. However, he stressed that both sides have agreed to resolve the issue as soon as possible and that they would explore all options for its resolution.

Saran, who began a two-day talks with Khan Thursday to review the ongoing composite dialogue between the two neighbors, was of the view that the pace of composite dialogue process was not slow and said that a number of developments had taken place in the last few months.

Saran said that the first day talks were held in a "friendly" atmosphere and termed it as "productive." He said both sides felt that significant progress was made on important issues in the composite dialogue process.

He noted that the text of the agreement on pre-notification of missile tests had been finalized, which would be signed by the Indian minister for external affairs during his visit to Islamabad in October. He made it clear that the agreement did not include pre-notification of cruise missiles' tests.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Khan told reporters at a separate press conference after talks with Saran that the Thursday's talks were a preparatory meeting before the review of the composite dialogue process by their foreign ministers, who were scheduled to meet from Oct. 3 to 5.

He said a joint statement on the talks would be issued Friday and that the two countries would begin their third round of talks under the composite dialogue by the end of 2005.

Source: Xinhua