M A I N   N E W S

India flexible on SAARC summit schedule
Ajay Kaul

Jakarta, April 24
India has said it was ready to accept any suitable date for the twice-postponed SAARC summit in Dhaka if it was acceptable to other members of the seven-nation grouping.

This was conveyed by External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh to his Bangladeshi counterpart Morshed Khan when he met him here last night on the sidelines of the Asian-African summit.

The issue of rescheduling the SAARC summit was raised by Mr Morshed Khan and it was conveyed that India was willing to agree to any date acceptable to all members, External Affairs Ministry spokesman said here today.

The indication of India’s willingness to attend the summit assumes significance as it comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with Nepal King Gyanendra here yesterday.

India had earlier refused to attend the summit in February citing “disturbing developments in the region”, a reference to royal takeover in Nepal on February 1. — PTI