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SAARC ministers' meet will bring India, Pak together

India and Pakistan are expected to discuss bilateral issues on the sidelines of the SAARC council of ministers summit when foreign ministers of both countries come together for the meeting in the hill resort of Nuwara Eliya, about 130 km from Colombo, next week.

Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, who will be in Sri Lanka for the summit beginning March 17, is also expected to utilise the opportunity for holding discussions with his Sri Lankan counterpart Lakshman Kadirgamar to sort out the problem in the recently-signed free trade agreement between the two countries.

The agreement, signed between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on December 28 in New Delhi, has run into rough weather mainly over India's decision to include tea and rubber, the two major items of Sri Lankan export, in its list of items to be excluded from the pact.

Diplomatic sources say Pakistan will definitely rake up the Kashmir issue this time also, like it does at every available forum. Although no bilateral meeting between Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz is on the agenda, the sources indicate the possibility of such a meeting on March 18 after the inauguration by the Sri Lankan president.

The sources, however, say Pakistan cannot ignore Kashmir without which there is hardly any issue for it to speak about regional cooperation.

A senior Indian official said the emphasis of the SAARC foreign ministers meeting would be the common concern in areas of preferential trade, economic cooperation and poverty alleviation programmes as they were the sacred commitment of SAARC. India has scrupulously respected this provision of SAARC.

UNI

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