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Vajpayee to visit Kashmir to review situation

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday said that he along with the Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and the Defence Minister George Fernandes would visit Jammu and Kashmir soon to review the situation in the state.

"I will go to Jammu and Kashmir along with the home minister and the defence minister to take stock of the situation there," he said in the Rajya Sabha, while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address.

The Prime Minister said he would review the entire situation and hold discussions with all sections before finalising a strategy. He said that elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be held soon and hoped the polls would be free and fair.

The Parliament also adopted the motion of thanks on President's address with Rajya Sabha adopting the motion after negation and withdrawal of several amendments moved by the opposition.

Lok Sabha on Saturday had adopted the motion of thanks on President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the commencement of the Budget session.

Vajpayee also announced that he will go to China later this year to further consolidate growing bilateral ties.

His visit would be preceded by a trip to Beijing by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Vajpayee announced in the Rajya Sabha.

"With China, our relations are growing in the right direction," he said, while recalling Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to India earlier this year.

He said that there were questions raised in some quarters on the purpose of the visit, but these had no basis.

The prime minister said on the boundary dispute, 'satisfactory' discussions were underway, but there were problems in other areas which needed to be resolved.

"We are increasing the multifarious cooperation with China," he said, adding that both countries were keen to try and understand each other.

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