NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Pakistan early next year, an official said on Thursday.
A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet Committee of Security meeting at the prime minister's 7 Race Course residence in New Delhi on Wednesday, he told rediff.com on condition of anonymity.
However, "this should not be construed as the start of a dialogue process between the two countries", he said.
The official said "leading members" of the international community were "hell bent" on ensuring that India and Pakistan began a dialogue on various issues, including Kashmir.
But New Delhi was determined not to hold talks with Islamabad until it completely stopped cross-border terrorism, he said.
Asked why prime minister was going to Pakistan in that case, he said, "There are certain obligations which diplomacy requires."
Officially, however, the government remained non-committal on the issue.
A decision regarding Vajpayee's visit will be taken at an appropriate time, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said in New Delhi.
"If the SAARC Summit is held, the prime minister will definitely attend it. But the summit should have an objective and it should not be just to see each other's faces," he said.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
