ELECTIONS '98
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Date: July 29. Time: 1700 hours. Participants: A B Vajpayee, Nawaz Sharief

Saisuresh Sivaswamy in Colombo

With the prime ministers of both India and Pakistan arriving in Colombo on Tuesday to participate in the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation summit, the stage is set for the long-awaited, post-nuclear tests interaction between the two leaders slated for Wednesday afternoon.

There are no expectations of a breakthrough in the talks between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharief, the details of which are still hard to come by.

From the public stances adopted by the two nations so far, and particularly since the nuclear tests in May, the best thing to come out of the bilateral talks will be that the two leaders -- both born on Christmas Day, 22 years apart -- have not allowed ideological posturing to come in the way of interaction.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar indicated the inadvisability of any other nation trying to elbow in on the talks, when he remarked on Tuesday morning that his country was "providing only logistical support".

"Nobody can wish against the two nations shedding their animosity, that is for the good of all," he said during a media briefing at the Sri Lankan foreign office.

The Indian prime minister has a hectic schedule on Wednesday, the first day of the SAARC summit. After spending the forenoon at the inauguration, he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks first with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, followed by talks with the Bhutanese delegation.

The much-awaited talks between the Indian and Pakistani leaders are slated for 1700 hours Lanka time, to be followed by a press conference by Vajpayee.

Even as Kadirgamar disputes the charge that the difference between the two countries have bogged down SAARC's progress, reports suggest that there is a growing feeling, at least in Pakistani circles, that the association is not really paying heed to common concerns.

"There was a difference over linguistics," was all Kadirgamar would say when quizzed about the draft declaration the SAARC council of ministers hammered out and which would be deliberated and approved by the heads of SAARC nations. But it is an open secret that the Pakistani delegation tried its best to embarrass India by insisting on the inclusion of 'peace and security in the region' as one of the topics for discussion.

Naturally, given the size of the foreign delegations present in the Lankan capital, security has gone into overdrive. Road blocks and traffic diversions are a common feature, as is the sight of armed to the teeth security personnel manning important avenues.

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