New Delhi, August 6
Even as top officials of member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) hold a two-day meeting in Colombo from August 9 to pave the way for the since 1999 postponed 11th summit of the organisation, Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will also meet there for the first time since the failed Agra summit.

Indian Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer and Pakistan Foreign Secretary Inamul Haq will meet on the sidelines of the third special session of the SAARC Standing Committee of Foreign Secretaries in Colombo either on August 9 or August 10 by mutual agreement for an informal bilateral consultation.

Asked about the agenda of informal consultations between Ms Iyer and Mr Haq in Colombo, a spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs Nirupma Rao said all issues relating to bilateral dialogue would be discussed.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad were said to be keen to keep the channels of dialogue open, sources said.

While the Foreign Secretaries would meet in Colombo, the Foreign Ministers would meet in New York during the General Assembly session of the United Nations. Even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was likely to meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New York, the sources said.

While the major powers, including Washington and Moscow, were of the view that a bilateral dialogue which began at Agra should not be allowed to turn into non-communication, even SAARC countries had been telling both India and Pakistan that the organisation’s future should not be made hostage to continuing rivalry between the two neighbours.

Apart from meeting Mr Haq, Ms Iyer would also meet her counterparts from Bangladesh, Bhutan the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Briefing newspersons about the SAARC meeting, the spokesperson said the agenda of the meeting had an item on the preparation for the 27th session of the standing committee, 22nd session of the Council of Ministers and the 11th summit in Kathmandu.

The agenda would also cover a wide range of administrative, financial and project-related items which were of great importance to SAARC.

The 11th SAARC summit as and when it was rescheduled, would be preceded immediately by meetings of the Council of Ministers and Standing Committee of Foreign Secretaries, the spokesperson said.

The Colombo meeting would also discuss proposed dates for the SAARC Council of (Foreign/ External Affairs) Ministers, she said adding that the last such meeting was held in March 1999 in Nuwara Eliya (Sri Lanka).