India, separatists agree violence in Kashmir must end: The Indian

India, separatists agree violence in Kashmir must end: The Indian
government and a moderate faction of Kashmiri separatists on
Thursday agreed at historic peace talks here that all forms of
violence in strife-torn Kashmir must end and pledged to hold
another meeting in March. Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal
Krishna Advani, who led government officials into the
discussions, later said the separatists would pay a courtesy call
on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Friday. -- AFP

54 Iranian MPs pledge to boycott 'unfree' elections: Fifty-four
members of the Iranian parliament pledged on Thursday not to take
part in next month's parliamentary elections if the poll does not
give voters a free choice of candidates. AFP correspondents said
the 54 were continuing to collect more signatures to their
commitment among reformist colleagues in the 290-seat parliament
who are facing wholesale rejection by a conservative candidate-
vetting body. -- AFP

Karen rebels win provisional cease-fire: The Karen National Union
(KNU) won a provisional cease-fire with Myanmar's junta in talks
aimed at ending their long-running rebellion, and is set to
continue negotiations on a written agreement, a spokesman said on
Thursday. A 21-member delegation led by Gen. Bo Mya, the
commander of the rebel group's military wing, returned to
Thailand Thursday after six days of talks in Myanmar's capital
Yangon, said KNU foreign secretary David Taw. "The military has
already ordered their regional commander on Jan. 17 to cease all
military activities on the frontline," he told AFP. "We didn't
reach agreement on paper but we know it's a concrete deal. AFP