India, China to keep contentious issues outside

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India and China have decided to keep away "contentious" issues outside the purview of discussions their Special Representatives are having on the festering boundary issue.

National Security Advisor and India's Special Representative, M K Narayanan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister and Chinese Special Representative Dai Bingguo held discussions in Beijing on the sidelines of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit.

Highly placed sources said issues like Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which was recently claimed by the Chinese as belonging to it, was kept out of the informal talks.

They said their attempt was to make progress steadily on issues that are less contentious so that they come out with an agreed framework for discussing solutions to the boundary question.

Exchange of maps was also not done today as it was felt that it would lead to unnecessary bad blood because immediately it would be construed as sticking to status quo.

It was also decided not to disturb the status quo with regard to populated areas.

Sources said issues to the extent of 60 per cent have been sorted out between the two sides.

Earlier, China favoured an "equitable and fair" solution to the boundary issue with India in the overall interests of both countries, saying it should not be allowed to hamper progress in bilateral ties.

Both sides believe that they should proceed from the perspective of overall interests of the two countries to find an equitable and fair solution acceptable to them, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing at the end of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's three-day visit.

The two sides also agree that before settling the boundary issue, they should maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and "not to let the border issue to be an obstacle to the development of bilateral ties."

Wrapping up his visit, Singh expressed confidence that the political parameters and guiding principles agreed by the two countries in April 2005 to seek a settlement of the boundary question would guide them to a "mutually satisfactory solution of this issue."