NEW DELHI -- Kashmir's main separatist alliance said on Tuesday it was ready for talks with the Indian government but that they must be sincere and without conditions.
The All Parties' Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, which includes two dozen religious and political groups, said dialogue was the only way to end the 10-year strife in Kashmir that has left thousands dead."We want talks, but they must have an open mind," Abdul Majid Banday, spokesman for the umbrella organization said to Reuters. "Putting riders has not helped in the past, the Hurriyat is not interested in such an exercise."
Banday said newspaper reports that the two sides were close to starting talks were speculative.
"There has been no formal offer of talks," he said.
New Delhi released several key Hurriyat figures from prison last month, opening the way to talks to end the separatist rebellion in its only Muslim-majority state.
Banday said the Indian government appeared serious about holding talks but its sincerity was still in doubt.
"We believe whatever negotiations take place, they should be substantive. Not just for the sake of holding talks. This problem has consumed so many lives," he said.
Analysts said the two sides were at this stage trying to set the parameters of the dialogue, away from the public eye.
"This is a hush-hush process that probably began when they were still in jail," political commentator Prem Shankar Jha said.