Amid mounting media frenzy over the likelihood of a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the two-day SAARC summit beginning here on Wednesday, India kept its cards close to the chest.
While not ruling out a meeting between the two, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna refused to be drawn into further discussions on the issue. Speaking to accompanying newspersons, Mr. Krishna pointed out that the eight heads of Government of member-countries would be under the same roof for two days. “So we will wait and watch how things turn up,” he said.
Asked about Pakistan's concern over construction activity on the three western rivers that flow from India, Mr. Krishna said the two leaders had a number of bilateral issues on the table and these would be discussed “as and when they meet up.”
The Minister also declined to comment on Pakistan's replies to the three dossiers submitted by India during the meeting between the two Foreign Secretaries in New Delhi in February this year. He maintained that having received the dossiers only on Sunday night, he was yet to go through them. The issue of despatching magistrates to testify in Pakistani courts was also being examined at the highest levels, he added.
Mr. Krishna will be interacting with his counterparts from the other seven SAARC members to set the stage for the SAARC summit of heads of government. While Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived here on Monday, Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan), Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh), Mohd. Nausheed (Maldives), Madhav Kumar Nepal (Nepal) and Mr. Gilani (Pakistan) will reach here on Tuesday. Dr. Singh and his entourage will reach Bhutan on Wednesday.
The Minister expressed his satisfaction on his recent visit to China.
“I was able to have a free exchange of views not only on bilateral ties but also on developments in the extended neighbourhood and rest of the world. I was very satisfied with the tone and tenor of talks. We talked on the border too. On the whole, our bilateral ties are moving in the right direction,” he said.
Mr. Krishna said he would leave for the U.S. in early June to hold a strategic dialogue with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “The U.S. and India have much in common so it is necessary to hold frequent high-level meetings. The intention is to maintain the flow of high-level visits from either side,” he added.
