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India, Pakistan had "very good talks"


    THIMPHU, Bhutan (Reuters) - The prime ministers of India and Pakistan had "very good talks" in Bhutan's capital and agreed that relations between them should be normalised, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Thursday.

    Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani are in Bhutan for a summit of South Asian leaders. This was their first meeting in nine months.

    Hopes of progress from the meeting were limited as the rival neighbours seek to end a diplomatic freeze since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It was, nonetheless, seen as important for efforts to prevent any further slide in ties.

    India suspended a sluggish peace process with Pakistan after the attacks, blaming Pakistan-based militants for it. Islamabad wants resumption of that dialogue, but New Delhi says it could happen only if the attack planners were punished.

    (Editing by Alistair Scrutton)