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| Friday, 24 October 2003 |
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India rules out bilateral talks with Pakistan at SAARC NEW DELHI, Thursday (AFP) Talks between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at a South Asian summit in January are unlikely, despite fresh peace moves between the two, India said. Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha confirmed Vajapayee would attend the January 4-6 summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Islamabad but ruled out the one-to-one talks. "SAARC is a multilateral process consisting of seven countries and we must make a distinction between it and the bilateral process," Sinha told reporters after announcing a series of measures to normalise relations with Pakistan. "A multilateral process taking place even on Pakistani soil does not become a bilateral process just because it is taking place in Pakistan. "Therefore, participation by India in SAARC should not be linked with any level of talks with Pakistan until and unless the neccessary atmosphere is created for such a dialoague," Sinha said. Pakistan last month extended a formal invitation to Vajpayee to attend the January summit of SAARC members Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. |
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