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Indian PM Manmohan Singh. Photo Courtesy: AFP
Indian PM Manmohan Singh. Photo Courtesy: AFP

Gilani-Manmohan likely to meet on SAARC sidelines

Mon-Jul 28, 2008

Islamabad / Press Trust of India

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani for the first time on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit in Colombo, scheduled for August 2-3.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said on Monday that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will have a meeting with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the sidelines of the summit.

About possibility of a meeting between Bush and Gilani, he said other meetings have not been confirmed as yet.

Gilani, who is in the US, had over the weekend said he could be meeting Singh on the sidelines of the Colombo meet and will discuss bilateral ties.

During a stopover in London on his way to the US, Gilani told reporters that he had telephoned the Indian prime minister and congratulated him on winning the trust vote.

Asked whether bilateral ties were under "stress" after the bombing of Indian embassy in Kabul, Gilani said Singh had told him that India desires to settle all outstanding issues including Kashmir, state-run APP reported.

Gialni said both the countries had lot of commonalities and he will take up the issues during his Colombo visit.

The spokesman said the forthcoming SAARC summit in Colombo is expected to sign the Charter of SAARC Development Fund, agreement on the establishment of SAARC Regional Standards Organisation, SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and the Protocol on the Accession of Afghanistan to SAFTA.

The summit is expected to decide on the request of Australia and Myanmar for grant of observer status. China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, US and EU have already been granted observer status last year.

Qureshi will attend the 30th session of SAARC Council of Ministers being held on Thursday.

Also read:
SAARC: Formation and objectives

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