The United States has welcomed Pakistan President's Pervez Musharraf's willingness to give up his country's claim on Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir if Kashmiris were assured autonomy. But Washington said that any solution to the dispute should have the people's backing.
"These are welcome comments and certainly we have encouraged both the sides to come together to resolve what has been a thorn in the side of their relationship for many, many decades," State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said on Thursday.
"Whatever the solution is, certainly, the people of the region need to have a voice in it, however the two sides choose to resolve it," he added.
Meanwhile, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has called India to come forward for resolution of the Kashmir problem. OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in a statement issued from the organisation's Jeddah headquarters welcomed President Musharraf's four-point formulae for solution of the Kashmir issue. The Islamic countries' organisation advised India to take the opportunity with a positive mindset.