UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed on Monday's joint statement from India and Pakistan that the peace process between the two nuclear-armed rivals was now irreversible. "The secretary general warmly supports the efforts by India and Pakistan to advance the ongoing dialogue," Annan's spokesman said in a statement. "He welcomes the joint statement issued by the leaders of the two countries this weekend which outlined additional confidence building measures aimed at achieving durable peace in the region," the spokesman said.
"In particular, he is encouraged by their declaration that the dialogue had become 'irreversible.'"
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf issued the statement earlier on Monday in New Delhi.
"The two leaders had substantive talks on all issues. They determined that peace process was now irreversible," they said.
Musharraf's visit started as an invitation to watch Pakistan play India at cricket but quickly built into a broader review of the 14-month peace process.