Hours after receiving an invitation from his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday night wrote back to him stating India's commitment to improvement of bilateral relations, for which there is a need to end cross-border terrorism.

Careful groundwork is necessary before talks can begin at the highest level, the letter said.

According to external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna, Vajpayee hoped that Pakistan would respond 'positively' to his announcement of restoring full diplomatic ties and resuming civil aviation links on a reciprocal basis.

In his letter, Vajpayee recalled his statement in Parliament on Friday, which emphasised on the need to create a conducive atmosphere for talks.

The prime minister's reply 'is on its way now to the high commission in Islamabad to be handed over to Prime Minister Jamali's office', the spokesman said.

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What do you think about the story? Read what others have to say: Number of User Comments: 3 Sub: Summit can wait Good for your PM - India's most urgent priority before any further dealings with Pakiland must be "A Complete bann and stop to Terrorists infilteration ... Posted by Manjit Sub: why ?? Summit can wait. why ??? because its still few more months for the bye-elections and the general elections in the coming year. The party needs ... Posted by Rohit S Sub: INDO PAK submit - can wait ? Why there is strange urgency and mysterious change of outlook all of a sudden by both the states ? I need to understand this first. ... Posted by Ashok Agarwal Bhojania