Archives

NEW DELHI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - India's prime minister planned to visit Pakistan for a regional summit soon, a junior minister said on Thursday, a day after India announced it would withdraw troops from the border to ease tensions with its nuclear rival.

Junior foreign minister Digvijay Singh told Aaj Tak television Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would attend the summit of South Asian leaders due to be held in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, early in 2003.

"India has always been supportive of SAARC... so the prime minister will go to this summit," he said, referring to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

"But I don't think it is to talk to Pakistan. SAARC is a multilateral forum and there is no scope for bilateral talks."

India and Pakistan have been locked in a tense confrontation over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir for almost a year and came close to their third war over the region in June. They are under intense international pressure to hold peace talks. 

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager