Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (22734)	1/2/2004 9:34:07 PM
From: Tom C	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793691

I think it goes straight to political leanings. Pros understand that getting to the interstate off-ramp is what it’s all about. Anyone who thinks there are lessons to teach others along the way are misguided. I look upon a "Pro" as one who can deal with getting someone elected without getting too emotional about it. On the other hand maybe not.....

To: LindyBill who wrote (22734)	1/4/2004 10:48:25 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 793691

Sorry LB. I posted my 2¢ before I read your post...... ________________________________________________ India, Pakistan leaders meet at South Asian summit ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — The Indian prime minister held his first direct talks with his Pakistani counterpart on Sunday since the two countries nearly went to war two years ago, setting the stage for a much-anticipated meeting with Pakistan's top power broker, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Pakistani premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali, met for 15 minutes shortly after the opening of a summit of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. State-run television showed the two men shaking hands and smiling warmly. It was not clear what they discussed, though both sides have said they were unlikely to delve into flashpoint issues such as the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir. State television described the talks as "frank and cordial." The foreign ministers of the two countries also were to meet later, Pakistani officials said. Vajpayee has indicated that he wants talks to stick to regional issues, but the Indian leader's chief national security adviser arrived in Pakistan on Friday — raising speculation that touchier subjects may be broached, though no breakthrough was expected. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the meeting would lead to formal dialogue. "We hope that all these confidence-building measures will ultimately lead toward a composite dialogue and peace and security and stability in the region," spokesman Masood Khan said. "These high-level meetings are very important. They create a new ambiance, they create a new atmosphere and they can facilitate bilateral negotiations also." The Indian prime minister also will meet with Musharraf, most likely on Monday, said Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha. Earlier, Vajpayee and Jamali entered the summit's opening session side by side. The Indian leader said in his speech that the region needed to put more than half-a-century of tension behind it. "We have to change South Asia's image and standing in the world," said Vajpayee, making his first visit to Pakistan in five years. "We must make a transition from mistrust to trust, from discord to concord and from tension to peace." Jamali later hailed his Indian counterpart as a "poet" and a "visionary," in front of the packed convention center. Outside, 10,000 police and commandos, mindful of two assassination attempts last month against Musharraf, enforced a near lockdown on the deserted streets. All shops in a so-called red zone around the Jinnah Conference Center were shut. Motorcades of black armored limousines ferried the leaders of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. The three-day summit was to endorse a long-stalled free trade area aimed at improving the lives of one-fifth of the world's population, including hundreds of millions of its poorest people. The leaders also were to update a decades-old agreement to combat international terrorism, bringing it into line with United Nations resolutions to choke off financing. But the chief focus was outside the official multilateral agenda — the steadily improving relations between India and Pakistan, whose hostility ran so deep a year ago that a scheduled summit had to be canceled. Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said the prayers of all the South Asian leaders would be with India and Pakistan at a "historic moment" in their relations. The leaders also spoke about tackling terrorism, integrating South Asian economies with the global economy, respecting each other's diverse cultures and improving literacy and women's rights. Jamali greeted Vajpayee with exceptional warmth Saturday at the airport, which was closed to commercial flights for security reasons. The scene would have been unimaginable even a year ago, when relations remained poisoned from a suicide attack on India's Parliament on Dec. 13, 2001, by Islamic militants that New Delhi claimed were supported by Pakistan. Pakistan denied the allegations, but during the SAARC summit held in Nepal a month later, the two countries were on a war footing with 1 million troops massed along their frontier. In recent months, the region's two most populous nations have traded nuclear brinksmanship for detente, enforcing a total cease-fire between forces on each side of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. They have resumed air, rail and bus links and restored top-level diplomatic relations. usatoday.com