From correspondents in Jammu and Kashmir, India, 08:03 PM IST

The third Kashmir roundtable conference would be held within a month, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Monday.

The chief minister said he had recommended to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the third roundtable be held so that people holding different views and perceptions sit together and discuss peace possibilities.

'I am confident the third Kashmir roundtable conference would be held within a month,' Azad said at a rally in Badgam district's Raithan village, 35 km from here.

He said that the key to permanent peace in the state lay in the hands of India and Pakistan.

'India-Pakistan peace talks are progressing satisfactorily. I am sure these would lead to the permanent peace in Jammu and Kashmir state, but it is my duty to ensure that the wheels of development keep moving.'

The chief minister spelt out the developmental priorities of his government and said better road connectivity was on the top of his agenda.

He also spoke about National Conference president Omar Abdullah's demand for inclusion of Syed Salahuddin, the Hizbul Mujahideen supreme commander, in the dialogue process.

'Those are the views of Omar Abdullah and his party. I am not making that an issue,' he said.

The prime minister had last year convened two roundtables on Kashmir, one in Srinagar and the other in Delhi.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)