Pakistan, India PMs meet on sidelines of SAARC summit

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 04, 2004

Pakistan, India PMs meet on sidelines of SAARC summit

The prime ministers of Pakistan and India were meeting on the sidelines of an important South Asian summit on Sunday, the first direct talks between leaders of the two neighbors in more than two years, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The prime ministers of Pakistan and India met Sunday in Islamabad on the sidelines of the 12th SAARC summit, said Pakistani foreign minister.

"The meeting has taken place, it was a good meeting," Pakistani Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri told reporters.

Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee went into one-one-one meeting after the inaugural session for the summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at Islamabad's convention center.

While terming the meeting, which lasted for about half an hour, as a "positive development", the foreign minister expressed the hope that it will lead to a composite dialogue between India and Pakistan.

The state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) showed footage of the two leaders shaking hands and smiling warmly.

The meeting was also attended by the foreign ministers, foreignsecretaries of both countries, said PTV, without giving details ofthe bilateral talks.

The surprise talks came ahead of a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two major players of the regional group.

Pakistani FM says India-Pakistan ties improved

The Pakistani foreign minister said Sunday that Pakistan's relations with India have improved as the two countries' prime ministers held Sunday their first official talks since July 2001.

Mian Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri made the remarks after meeting on Sunday afternoon with his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha on the sidelines of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Kasuri told reporters that his talks with Sinha was held in a cordial atmosphere and they discussed regional and international issues. However, he did not elaborate on the topics.

He said through the talks, they built personal relationship andhe expressed hope that it will contribute to the betterment of ties between the two peoples.

The meeting between Kasuri and Sinha was preceded by an one-on-one meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee after the inaugural session for the regional summit at Islamabad's convention center.

The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are also due to meet Monday morning.

Vajpayee, who arrived here Saturday for the three-day regional conference, is also expected to meet with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at a state dinner later on Sunday evening.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir since 1947.

South Asian summit opens

The 12th SAARC Summit, seen as a historic opportunity for Pakistan and India to build on peace moves, opened here on Sunday amid extraordinarily tight security arrangements.

The national anthem of host country Pakistan was played as heads of state and government of the seven-member regional group entered the Jinnah Convention Center.

Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee entered the convention side by side and jointly took their seats.

Outside, about 10,000 heavily armed police and military personnel enforced a near lockdown on the deserted streets, leading to the conference venue.

During the summit, the SAARC leaders will discuss a 6-point agenda finalized by their foreign minister with South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), additional protocol on terrorism and social charter, aimed at social development and poverty alleviation.

After a lapse of two years, the three-day summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has brought together Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Lyonopo Jigmi Ythinly of Bhutan, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives, Prime Minister Surya BahadurThapa of Nepal and Pakistani Prime Minister Jamali.

Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, the outgoing chairman of the regional group, opened the summit, which was originally scheduled for last January. The SAARC leaders met last time in Kathmandu, Nepal in January 2002. The next summit will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2005.

Source: Xinhua

Questions?Comments? Click here

Talks with Pakistani president possible: Indian PM

India interested in permanent ceasefire with Pakistan: FM

Indian aircraft overflies Pakistan with relief for Iran

Will China's rise trigger Sino-US confrontation? ( 47 Messages)

China may participate in reconstruction of Iraq ( 8 Messages)

Gas field blowout kills 191in SW China, 290-odd hospitalized ( 32 Messages)

HK singer Anita Mui dies of cancer ( 7 Messages)

China offers emergency humanitarian aid to Iran ( 14 Messages)