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Lanka brings India, Pakistan together

by Ranga Kalansooriya in Kathmandu

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was the facilitator for the much-awaited informal bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff.

"I managed to bring them together, at least at the last minute," President Kumaratunga told the media after the SAARC Summit.

"We three, Prime Minister Vajpayee, President Musharaff and myself were waiting for our cars after the Summit. I told both of them why cannot you start bilateral talks now, for which they responded positively," she said.

Without a delay President Musharaff had come to Prime Minister Vajpayee and had started talking at the very moment, according to President Kumaratunga. The two Foreign Ministers, Jaswant Singh and Abdul Sattar had joined them later.

"They started in English but later turned into Urdu or Hindi - I do not know the language," she said. "After about 15 minutes I left the meeting, but they continued," she added.

Commenting on President Kumaratunga's initiative, Pakistani journalist Quatrina Hosain told the Daily News that the move indicates counties like Sri Lanka can do a lot with regard to regional peace.

"I welcome her initiative and hope Sri Lanka and other regional countries would continue its endeavours in this regard," she added. 

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