New Delhi, July 23
First time after the failed Indo-Pak summit at Agra this month, Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan are likely to meet on the sidelines of the Foreign Secretaries meeting of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) being held in Colombo on August 9-10.

Responding to questions, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Nirupma Rao said III special session of the SAARC Standing Committee was scheduled to take place in Colombo on August 9-10. “Such meetings do provide an opportunity for bilateral discussions on the sidelines”, she said. Details of bilateral interactions of Foreign Secretary Choikla Iyer with her counterparts from other countries are being worked out, Mrs Rao said.

A meeting between Mrs Iyer and Pakistan Foreign Secretary Inamul Haq is also on the cards during which the two sides are expected to exchange notes on bilateral relations also.

Asked whether Mrs Iyer and Mr Haq would meet in Colombo, the spokesperson said it was usual that Foreign Secretaries meet on such occasions.

“As and when requests for such bilateral meetings are received, these can be arranged”, she said.

The Standing Committee meeting of the Foreign Secretaries would be preceded by a preparatory meeting of the Joint Secretaries on August 7 and 8, the spokesperson said.