Indo-Pak talks on nuclear CBMs take off

Delegations from the two countries, who have fought three wars since 1947, will discuss nuclear issues for two days.

Pakistan and India opened talks here on Tuesday on nuclear confidence-building measures and minimising the risks of an accidental atomic conflict, officials said.

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Delegations from the two countries, who have fought three wars since 1947, will discuss nuclear issues for two days and then conventional weapons on Thursday, officials said.

This is the fourth round of discussions on nuclear issues under the slow-moving peace process launched by historic rivals Islamabad and New Delhi in January 2004.

Pakistan and India have previously signed an agreement to inform each other in advance about test flights of ballistic missiles. They have also set up a hotline to prevent nuclear misunderstandings.

Ahead of the talks, foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan would attend the discussions with a positive frame of mind and make some new proposals, which she did not spell out.

India and Pakistan, who carried out tit-for-tat nuclear test detonations in May 1998, exchange lists of their nuclear installations every year on January 1.