From rxpgnews.com
Kasuri arriving in India, may lunch with Pranab
By RxPG News Service,
Nov 24, 2006 - 7:51:56 PM
New Delhi, Nov 24 - Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmmod Kasuri arrives here on a four-day private visit Saturday during which he may have lunch with his new Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.
Kasuri will be in India to attend the wedding of Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's daughter. Indian and Pakistani officials would like a meeting between the two foreign ministers.
External Affairs Minister Mukherjee is likely to host a 'goodwill lunch' for Kasuri at Hyderabad House Monday, informed sources told IANS.
If that happens, Kasuri is likely to make a renewed push for demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier - the world's highest battlefield.
Ahead of the two-day foreign-secretary talks that concluded here Nov 15, Kasuri had told Pakistani media that a solution to the Siachen dispute was just a 'matter of days'.
The Indian foreign office had reacted cautiously to the remark, saying that if Islamabad was ready to accept New Delhi's position on authentication of actual ground position before a proposed withdrawal of troops, it had no problem with the demilitarisation idea.
If both sides stick to their stated positions, there is little likelihood of an imminent breakthrough on the issue.
Mukherjee is likely to visit Pakistan for talks with Kasuri towards the end of this month or sometime in January.
All rights reserved by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited ( www.rxpgnews.com )