Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

Statement adopted at the 2nd round table conference on Jammu & Kashmir

Following is the text of the statement adopted at the 2nd Round Table Conference on Jammu and Kashmir at Srinagar today:

1. All the participants at the 2nd Round Table Conference on Jammu & Kashmir held in Srinagar on 24th - 25th May 2006, welcomed the continuation of the process begun by the Prime Minister in February to have a dialogue with a wide range of opinion from political groups and representatives of civil society with the purpose of evolving a common understanding of the problems of Jammu & Kashmir and finding consensual solutions to these problems.

2. The Round Table Conference once again reaffirmed that violence has no place in a civilised society and that all concerned should uphold basic human rights.

3. The participants expressed happiness at the commitment of all concerned towards taking the dialogue process forward and appreciated the diversity of views that exists on issue affecting the people of J&K.

4. Participants hoped that those who chose to stay away from the Conference will participate in future meetings.

5. The Round Table Conference endorsed the constitution of 5 Working Groups to look into all issues affecting J&K in all their aspects and hopes that these Working Groups would work towards finding common ground and forging a consensus on specific issues through a time bound result-oriented approach.