'A Big Breakthrough'

Hizbul Mujahideen's supremecommander Syed Salahuddin hailed prime minister Vajpayee's invitation to Pakistanimilitary ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf as a "breakthrough" but said hisgroup would continue activities as the talks go on.

He also expressed disappointment over the calling off of the six-month-longceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir.

"It's a breakthrough - breakthrough in the sense that prime minister Mr.Vajpayee has adopted a realistic approach," Salahuddin told CNN  whenasked for his reaction to the India-Pakistan talks.

He said "earlier, he (Vajpayee) had very rigid stance that unless Pakistanstopped supporting militants inside Kashmir there would be no talks. He (Vajpayee)also said that unless Pakistan had a democratic government, there was no pointin talks.

"This time around he has ignored these two questions, made a complete U-turnand invited Pakistan for talks. In this regard, it's a breakthrough."

The Hizb leader said if both the leaders sit on a table and discuss the issueof Kashmir, "then it's really a big breakthrough."

He added that this breakthrough, "rather than coming from the Indiangovernment", has been brought about by Vajpayee's "realisticapproach" and said "we appreciate it."

"If a person does good work, that work must be appreciated," hesaid.

Salahuddin said as he praised Vajpayee for his initiative, "we aredeeply disappointed" over his calling off of the ceasefire... We are deeplyshocked by that."

Asked whether he was willing to reign in his activists as the talks between Indiaand Pakistan are held, the Hizb chief said "there is no connection betweenour fighting and the diplomatic dialogue."

"Just like Afghanistan, Vietnam and the IRA in Britain, we can alsocontinue fighting while a dialogue goes on," he added.

To a question on involvement of Kashmiris in the talks, Salahuddin said"this is a trilateral matter.... If only two parties such as India and Pakistantalk, then the problem will remain unresolved.