Indian, Pakistani leaders to meet during SAARC

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani for the first time on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit in Colombo scheduled for Aug 2-3.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will have a meeting with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the sidelines of the summit.

About possibility of a meeting between Bush and Gilani, he said other meetings have not been confirmed as yet.

Gilani, who is in the US, had over the weekend said he could be meeting Singh on the sidelines of the Colombo meet and will discuss bilateral ties.

During a stopover in London on his way to the US, Gilani told reporters that he had telephoned the Indian Prime Minister and congratulated him on winning the trust vote. Asked whether bilateral ties were under "stress" after the bombing of Indian embassy in Kabul, Gilani said Singh had told him that India desires to settle all outstanding issues including Kashmir, state-run APP reported.

Gialni said both the countries had lot of commonalities and he will take up the issues during his Colombo visit. The summit is expected to decide on the request of Australia and Myanmar for the grant of observer status.

Times of India