LIBERAL DEMOCRATS WEST MIDLANDS REGION CONFERENCE SUPPORTS MOTION CALLING FOR DIALOGUE AND A FINAL PEACE SETTLEMENT IN KASHMIR

12.00.00am GMT Tue 26th Feb 2002

Euro MP Liz Lynne and leading Liberal Democrat Qassim Afzal have won the

unanimous support of delegates at a key Liberal Democrat regional

conference for a motion calling for the international community to work

for a peace settlement in Kashmir.

The motion was supported after a debate at the party's West Midlands

Region conference held at Biddulph at the weekend.

The proposer, Birmingham Sparkbrook candidate in 2001 Qassim Afzal said:

"I was delighted to see such broad support for this compromise resolution

calling for peace in Kashmir. We are making a big effort to include

support for international steps to promote peace from as wide a spectrum

of opinion as possible."

Liz Lynne MEP, Vice Chair of the All Party Kashmir Group of MEPs, who

seconded the motion, said: "The support from senior Liberal Democrats is

very encouraging. We are now very hopeful that this call will be repeated

at other Liberal Democrat conferences at various levels which are due to

be held shortly.

"The situation in India and Pakistan is causing increasing concern to many

people who have until recently not realised the nature of the problems in

the region. Our success in the European Parliament in getting a commitment

to act as 'honest broker' written into the EU Common Foreign and Security

Policy is clearly changing the balance of opinion."

The text of the motion approved was:

PROMOTING PEACE AND DEFEATING TERRORISM

Conference notes with alarm the escalation of tension within and between

India and Pakistan, especially in the light of the brutal murder of

journalist Daniel Pearl, the attacks on the Indian Parliament and

continued human rights violations suffered by civilians within Kashmir.

Conference further notes the continued mobilisation of armed forces by

both India and Pakistan and that both countries now have nuclear weapons.

Conference welcomes President Musharraf's pledge to hunt down the killers

of Mr Pearl and his recent speech committing Pakistan to reject terrorism

in all its forms and manifestations and the banning of extremist groups.

Conference recognises the dispute over Kashmir is a central source of

tension in the region and that both India and Pakistan have failed to

implement their obligations under UN resolutions and subsequent

agreements, such as the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

Conference believes the international community has a moral duty to work

actively to facilitate an enduring peace between India and Pakistan and

that this requires negotiation of a final settlement on the future of

Kashmir.

Conference calls on the Governments of India and Pakistan:

*to redeploy troops mobilised since December 2001 to peacetime locations

*to begin a process of demilitarisation in Kashmir on both sides of the

Line of Control.

*to undertake in good faith dialogue and processes designed to lead to a

final settlement over Kashmir, in accordance with the principle of

self-determination and the wishes of the people of Kashmir.

Conference urges the UN, the United States, the European Union, the

Commonwealth and other international partners to extend their good offices

in seeking a final settlement.