Pakistan, India To Open Border

India and Pakistan agreed Sunday to open the militarized border in the disputed Kashmir region to help victims of South Asia's quake, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, during a visit to Pakistan, UNICEF's chief warned Sunday that thousands more people could die in South Asia's quake-stricken region from disease, diarrhea and injuries if more aid doesn't arrive.

After marathon talks between foreign ministry officials that lasted more than 12 hours, the two sides agreed to open crossings at five points across the Line of Control, the cease-fire line that divides the Himalayan region which the archrivals have fought two wars over.

The two sides agreed the border would be opened on Nov. 7. Relief items can be sent in either direction and handed over to local authorities at the five crossing points, the foreign ministry statement said. Crossings would also be permitted on foot, with priority given to families divided by the border.

The unprecedented agreement came in response to the massive Oct. 8 quake that killed about 78,000 people in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. More than 1,300 people died on the Indian side of Kashmir. An estimated 3.3 million others were left homeless and fears for their lives are growing as winter closes in.

Procedures for crossing the border would be similar to those implemented earlier this year when the historic bus service between the two capitals of disputed Kashmir, Muzaffarabad and Srinagar, was restarted. People wanting to cross would have to apply for a permit from government officials on either side to verify their identities.

The five crossings would be allowed at the Pakistani-Indian border towns of Nauseri-Teethwal, Chakothi-Uri, Hajipur-Uri, Rawalakot-Poonch, and Tattapni-Mendhar.

Opening up the border is a particularly sensitive issue for India because of a 16-year Islamic insurgency in its part of Kashmir by militants seeking independence or the region's merger with Pakistan.

Crossing the land border in Kashmir was forbidden for 58 years until Pakistan and India agreed to a twice-monthly bus service earlier this year, one of the most tangible results so far of a two-year peace process to bury their history of acrimony and settle their competing claims to Kashmir.

The magnitude of the disaster, South Asia's worst-ever earthquake, has helped override longstanding suspicions between the two countries. Earlier this month, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf had suggested allowing Kashmiris to help each other recover from the Oct. 8 quake, a proposal that India welcomed.

Since the quake, India has delivered tons of supplies to Pakistan, and on Wednesday offered US$25 million to a faltering U.N. appeal for funds for the emergency relief effort. India is setting up three relief camps on its side of the border where Pakistani quake victims could get medical help, food and relief supplies.

Alarm has been growing about the fate of quake survivors as the onset of a harsher than normal Himalayan winter approaches within weeks. Pakistani meteorologists have forecasted that this winter will bring an estimated 18 feet of snow in the region, compared to 10 feet in past years.

During her first tour of the quake-ravaged Pakistani portion of Kashmir, UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said deaths from the massive quake could rise even higher if survivors don't get medical treatment, tents and blankets.

"The fear is that we could lose thousands of people additionally to diarrhea, disease and injuries that are not treated," she told The Associated Press. "It's absolutely urgent that as much aid gets in as possible. This is an area that will get much colder as the winter comes and the people are going to need shelter and blankets."

Veneman also said she was concerned about the plight of children, who composed more than half of the quake's victims.

"We are very concerned about the health of the children and very concerned that we don't lose more children as a result of the aftermath of this tragedy," she said.

An estimated 800,000 quake victims, many who live in remote mountainous areas, still lack basic shelter with tents in short supply. Relief officials say 600,000 tents are still needed. An extensive international relief effort has been hindered by the logistical challenges of inhospitable terrain.

Pakistan will host a conference of international donors next month to raise funds for reconstruction of quake-devastated areas, state-run Pakistan Television reported Saturday. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to attend the meeting in the capital on Nov. 19, it said.

The official death toll from the quake in Pakistan is at 56,000, but central government figures have consistently lagged behind those of local officials, which put Pakistan's toll at about 78,000. Another 1,350 people died in Indian-held Kashmir.