Indian PM to meet with Pakistani president Monday

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 05, 2004

Indian PM to meet with Pakistani president Monday

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is set to meet with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in Islamabad on Sunday.

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Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is set to meet with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in Islamabad on Sunday.

"The Indian prime minister has requested the meeting, and it will take place sometime tomorrow," Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told a press conference after leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) wrapped up the first day of their 12th summit meeting.

Musharraf and Vajpayee met last time in the Indian city of Agrain July 2001.

However, Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha characterized Monday's one-on-one meeting between the two leaders as a routine diplomatic courtesy call.

The much-anticipated meeting between the leaders of the two heavy weights of the regional bloc has aroused high hope for the launch of a comprehensive dialogue that Pakistan seeks on resolving long-standing issues, including the disputed Kashmir.

Earlier in the day, Vajpayee held an ice-breaking meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on the sidelines of the three-day regional conference, which was made possible after a thaw in bilateral ties between India and Pakistan.

The two leaders agreed that the momentum in bilateral relations should be maintained, said the Foreign Ministry in a press release.

SAARC, set up in 1985, also groups Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives,Nepal and Sri Lanka.

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