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European Union sees window of opportunity in Kashmir
WSN Network

SRINAGAR: Maintaining that the Kashmir issue needed a political resolution, the head of the European Union’s Troika Ambassadors delegation has said that the recently held elections had opened a window of opportunity in Kashmir, which needed to be capitalised upon. 

India’s leading newspaper The Hindu extensively quoted Hynek Kmonicek, the Ambassador of Czech Republic to India, as saying that the Kashmir problem remained complex and complicated. 

“There has been a large participation in the recently held elections but we cannot say that election is the solution. But it can open a window for a solution. We really believe that the new dynamic Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, will be able to capitalise on that popular support to deliver, especially on good governance and address basic problem such as unemployment.” 

Dr. Hynek Kmonicek, who heads a five-member EU delegation which is on a two-day visit to Kashmir, said the basic objective of the visit was to complement EU’s regular missions. “We have been coming here since 1994 and we come here and listen. This complex situation is important for the EU to understand.” 

On the question of intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue, he said, “We are not here to intervene. We are here to get acquainted closely with the situation. We have EU-funded projects here and we will review the progress on them.” Human rights was a very important issue for them. 

“It is one of the priorities the Czech presidency is looking at. Such unfortunate incidents are on

the decline, but it is not the end of the road.”

4 March 2009
 

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