Breakthrough unlikely in Indo-Pak talks

"There will be fresh ideas on the table," when the two foreign secretaries - the most senior foreign ministry officials -- meet in New Delhi Tuesday and Wednesday for the third round of talks, the senior Indian official said.

The ideas would include increased contacts between the people of the two countries, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The moves are aimed at breathing new life into the peace process that has shown signs of stalling since its launch in January 2004.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said the foreign secretaries would discuss the Kashmir dispute and ways to maintain peace and security, besides setting the agenda for a meeting between the two foreign ministers later this year.

The launch of new transport links between India and Pakistan and the two zones of Kashmir will also be discussed, he said.

Two rounds of official-level talks and several summits between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf have brought many symbolic steps, including cross-border bus services and the resumption of sporting ties. But there has been little progress on the Kashmir dispute -- the cause of two of the three wars between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan since 1947. Each country hold part of the territory but claims it in full.

India says confidence-building measures are needed because Pakistan has not kept a promise to stop violence by Islamic militants based in Pakistani-held territory who are battling New Delhi's rule in Kashmir.

The October 8 South Asian quake exposed the deep-seated mistrust between the two when both sides took weeks to agree to open up their disputed border to allow Kashmiris to check on their relatives.

Recent bombings in New Delhi and a shooting last month in India's southern technology hub of Bangalore, both blamed by New Delhi on Pakistani militants, strained ties ahead of the third talks of talks.