By Terry Friel and Kamil Zaheer
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Declaring their peace process irreversible, nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed Monday to open up the militarized frontier dividing Kashmir, capping a landmark visit to New Delhi by President Pervez Musharraf.
In a significant coming together, Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said they would work toward a "soft border" in Kashmir, opening meeting points for divided families and boosting trade, travel and cooperation across the frontier.
Reading a joint statement as he stood next to Musharraf, Singh said the two, "conscious of the historic opportunity created by the improved relations and the overwhelming desire of the peoples of the two countries for durable peace... determined that the peace process was now irreversible."
Read the whole thing here.
This was an act of political courage for both men and should be heralded as such.
Remember that just a few years ago these nations were hovering on the brink of nuclear war. Through the entire process of peacemaking the US has been actively involved and has had excellent relations with both antagonists. In a rational world this would count as a great triumph for Bush's diplomacy, but America's political culture today is so poisoned that it will pass largely unnoticed.
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