Peace.--Somewhere in the world.- good news

[sun]

It is a rare day, when this happens..two of the most populous nations in the world signed agreements Mondayto resolve a decades old border dispute and expand trade between the two countries...India and China were involved, New York Times. 4/12/05

From NEW DELHI-
Promising a new era of "peace and prosperity between the world's two most populouscontries, the announcemnt came during a four day vist to tIndia by Chinese Prime MInister Wen Jiabaso It signaled an end a to protracted dispute over several patches along the 2200 mile borderbetween the countries, stretching from Kashmir to Myanmar..China defeated India in a war over territory in 1962and relations have beeen fraught for four decades.
The two countries have reached "a certain level of maturity" India's foreighn secretary, Shyam Sarah, said at a news conference here. "India nd China are partners and they are not rivals."
The announcement did not spell out which territory would got to which country, but the two countries did agree to come up with a plan to resovle disputes over frontier territory. Each side has troops along the border, but there have not been any recet skirmishes.
Rlations between India and China have flourished in recent years, lead primarily by trade. China is India's second-largest trading partner, after the United States.

[Disco Pete]

This crazy world we live in needs more good news.
This crazy world we live in needs more PEACE.

Thank You for posting this.

[Fone Bone]

Seconded. That is the best news I have heard today. Thank you oldtoonguy!

[AndreaBeaumont]

Wow. I didn't think peace was possible anymore.

This made my day.

[James_Batista]

Very, VERY nice :)

[BluFire1213]

And there was much rejoicing! . . . <5 people>. . . " yay. . ". . .hehe jk. .
Well that's good news. .

[Squall]

Things are never quite what they seem in politics... India and China have an alterior motive as well.

India, China, and Pakistan all claim the territory of Kashmir as their own; and each of the three countries has possession of parts of it. Now, India and China are willing to negotiate the division of the territory between the two of them, but Pakistan... wants it all.

So, while definitely good news, it also means that Pakistan will not be very happy about this, and may retaliate in any number of ways.

Keep in mind, all three countries also have nuclear weapons, cover huge territories, and just between the three countries alone you've got 35% of the entire population of Earth! :eek:

[sun]

Things are never quite what they seem in politics... India and China have an alterior motive as well.

India, China, and Pakistan all claim the territory of Kashmir as their own; and each of the three countries has possession of parts of it. Now, India and China are willing to negotiate the division of the territory between the two of them, but Pakistan... wants it all.

So, while definitely good news, it also means that Pakistan will not be very happy about this, and may retaliate in any number of ways.

Keep in mind, all three countries also have nuclear weapons, cover huge territories, and just between the three countries alone you've got 35% of the entire population of Earth! :eek:
This maybe true, but, maybe there is some hope in the world..Maybe some deal can be worked out with Pakistan, as Pakistan is trying to calm some things down with India..I only hope and pray for peace. this is at least a start, and is some good news..maybe more will come..

[LightShadow1890]

Yay...peace!

Even though I haven't heard much about it on the news, it's been in atlases around the world.

[90'sCartoonMan]

India, China, and Pakistan all claim the territory of Kashmir as their own; and each of the three countries has possession of parts of it. Now, India and China are willing to negotiate the division of the territory between the two of them, but Pakistan... wants it all.

So, while definitely good news, it also means that Pakistan will not be very happy about this, and may retaliate in any number of ways.

Keep in mind, all three countries also have nuclear weapons, cover huge territories, and just between the three countries alone you've got 35% of the entire population of Earth! :eek:
As Squall reminds us, there's no such thing as good news.

[Chris Wood]

Nice, but as has been pointed out, the real, nuclear war threatening problem is between India and Pakistan.

[sun]

I had read that Inda and Pakistan were begining some preliminary talks to tone down the situation between them. At least they are talking about peace. maybe that is a good sign.

[Natey]

yay peace!!!!!!!now people are happy!:) :anime: :D ;) :p

[Squall]

I had read that India and Pakistan were begining some preliminary talks to tone down the situation between them. At least they are talking about peace. maybe that is a good sign.
India and Pakistan were in preliminary talks, but they don't appear to be anymore. It seems that many Pakistani officials considered the India-China agreement a stab in the back, from their point of view, because they weren't invited to the table. What central Asia needs is a three-way agreement between India, China, and Pakistan, if there is to be any true peace in the region.

Even after that, there would be issues... Did you know that a sizable minority in Kashmir wants the region to become an independent country? I can guarantee you that neither India, China, or Pakistan would agree to that...

I didn't mean to rain on anyone's parade, I was just telling everyone "the rest of the story," as Paul Harvey likes to say. :)

[sun]

India and Pakistan were in preliminary talks, but they don't appear to be anymore. It seems that many Pakistani officials considered the India-China agreement a stab in the back, from their point of view, because they weren't invited to the table. What central Asia needs is a three-way agreement between India, China, and Pakistan, if there is to be any true peace in the region.

Even after that, there would be issues... Did you know that a sizable minority in Kashmir wants the region to become an independent country? I can guarantee you that neither India, China, or Pakistan would agree to that...

I didn't mean to rain on anyone's parade, I was just telling everyone "the rest of the story," as Paul Harvey likes to say. :)
Yes it is true that there probably should have been three way talks, and Kashmir has been a problem for a long time, Squal is right, we have a long way to go. But at least somewhere they are trying...China and India have worked out an agreement that may lead to lasting peace. Elsewhere, in the last few weeks, there has been a truce betwen the Isreal and the Palistine..Yes, it might not work,, maybe even probably not work, but for once, I wanted to post something postiive that is real..A border dispute has been mainly solved..Let us be happy in some quiet for a while,somewhere, and hope and pray for more...

[Cartman]

That is good news. If only the U.S. and Iraq would learn to do the same.

[Squall]

That is good news. If only the U.S. and Iraq would learn to do the same.
The current government in Iraq -- the democratically elected government -- is a U.S. ally. The Iraqi government you're referring to, under Sadddam Heussein, ceased to exist in 2003.

By the way, here's another thread I found, on another message board, dealing with the Kashmir issue:
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread131256/pg1

Those posters make some good points there as well.

[sun]

AMhttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/p/reuters120.gif (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/reuters/brand/SIG=pd7i95/*http://www.reuters.com) Peace 'Irreversible'; India, Pakistan Soften on Kashmir

20 minutes ago
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/my/addtomyyahoo3.gif (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/addtomy/*http://add.my.yahoo.com/content?id=6052&.src=yn&.done=http%3a//news.yahoo.com/news%3ftmpl=story%26cid=578%26e=3%26u=/nm/20050418/ts_nm/southasia_dc) Top Stories - Reuters (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/addtomy/*http://add.my.yahoo.com/content?id=6052&.src=yn&.done=http%3a//news.yahoo.com/news%3ftmpl=story%26cid=578%26e=3%26u=/nm/20050418/ts_nm/southasia_dc)

By Terry Friel and Kamil Zaheer

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Declaring their peace process irreversible, nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed Monday to open up the militarized frontier dividing Kashmir (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/ts_nm/southasia_dc/14908508/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Kashmir%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), capping a landmark visit to New Delhi by President Pervez Musharraf.

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20050418/amdf934609.jpg (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050418/photos_ts/mdf934609)
Reuters Photo (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050418/photos_ts/mdf934609)
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20050418/t/r273915634.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:%20rs()
Reuters (http://javascript<b></b>:%20rs() http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/auctions/cam.gifSlideshow: Kashmir (http://javascript<b></b>:%20rs()


In a significant coming together, Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said they would work toward a "soft border" in Kashmir, opening meeting points for divided families and boosting trade, travel and cooperation across the frontier.



Reading a joint statement as he stood next to Musharraf, Singh said the two, "conscious of the historic opportunity created by the improved relations and the overwhelming desire of the peoples of the two countries for durable peace...determined that the peace process was now irreversible."



Analysts said the focus on building trust, softening the border and improving the lives of ordinary Kashmiris marked a major departure from the past, when the two sides have banged heads together over their rival territorial claims.



Both Singh and Musharraf suggested this new approach could eventually lead to a settlement of their dispute over Kashmir, at the heart of half a century of hostility and which almost sparked a fourth war in 2002.



"This is what I call going toward a soft border," Musharraf had said earlier. "But a soft border is not a final solution."



The joint statement said terrorism would not be allowed to derail peace efforts and clearly warned Islamic separatists fighting Indian rule that neither side would tolerate attacks on a just-launched bus service uniting the divided Himalayan region.



The two leaders agreed to increase bus services across the cease-fire line and open the fenced and heavily guarded frontier, once dubbed the world's most dangerous flashpoint by the United States, to freight trucks and pilgrims.



"I think the outcome has been better than I expected," Musharraf, due in Manila later Monday, told reporters earlier.



The two took no questions after Singh read out the statement.



The contrast with a failed summit in the Indian city of Agra in 2001 was dramatic, and highlighted by Musharraf himself.



"There was tension, now there is friendship, there is harmony," he said. "We were angry, now we are happy."



Singh was reported as telling senior Indian editors that "General-sahib" was a man he could do business with.



CRICKET DIPLOMACY



The three-day visit by the Delhi-born Musharraf was originally intended as an informal trip to watch Pakistan play India in cricket -- Pakistan won Sunday -- but effectively turned into a summit with Singh, born in what is now Pakistan.



"I was cautiously optimistic about the peace process. Now, I am optimistic," said Uday Bhaskar, of the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyzes and New Delhi.



"The spirit of this round of talks as reflected in the joint statement showed that neither side is trying to score brownie points but is cognizant of the concerns of the other."







Amid heavy security, Musharraf has received a hero's welcome since arriving in the northern Indian city of Ajmer on Saturday to pray for peace at South Asia's most famous Sufi Muslim shrine.

"Man of the match: Musharraf" declared the front page headline in India's The Economic Times.

"Flexibility had to be shown by both sides, but this is a major departure ... it is an achievement for common ground, toward a solution and the original positions on both sides," said Ershad Mahmood, of Islamabad's Institute of Policy Studies.

"This is the first time... (common ground) has happened in history. So this is major flexibility being shown by both sides."

Sunday, Musharraf met Kashmiri separatist leaders, who he says must be brought into any peace process for it to work. The All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference leaders are due to meet Singh for the first time soon, although no date has been set.

But Monday, militants accused him of selling out.

"Musharraf has agreed to a sell out on Kashmir in return of trade, tourism and devil cultural ties with India," said a joint statement by four groups who have threatened the bus service.

"Once hero of Kargil, the general has knelt down before India," they said, referring to near war in Kashmir in 1999.

Tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, have died in a 15-year rebellion by Islamic rebels against Indian rule in Kashmir and violence continues unabated, despite the new thaw.

South Asia's military giants have fought three wars since Britain partitioned its Indian empire in 1947, two over Kashmir.

[Chris Wood]

The current government in Iraq -- the democratically elected government -- is a U.S. ally.

Yeah, until their constituents wring their necks. Oops! Are we getting political now?


NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Declaring their peace process irreversible, nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed Monday to open up the militarized frontier dividing Kashmir, capping a landmark visit to New Delhi by President Pervez Musharraf.

Sweet! Every possible nuclear confrontation we can cross off the list is a big step forward. Now if only something could be done about North Korea.