More time for one-on-one meetings

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 5. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, are likely to be engaged in four-and-a-half hours of crucial discussions on July 15 at Agra when they meet for summit dialogue.

The final programme of Gen. Musharraf, subject of course to further last-minute changes, shows that the two leaders are expected to be together between 11.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lunch being hosted by Mr. Vajpayee after the first round of talks might well turn out to be a working session.

It is still not clear as to how long the two leaders would spend in one-to-one meetings and then along with their official delegations at the negotiating table.

The programme of the leaders has been structured in such a manner that the morning of July 16 has been kept free to enable them to have a final round of discussions, if necessary. ``By evening of July 15 it should be clear if there would be a joint statement or declaration on the summit. The morning of July 16 has been `reserved' to accommodate any contingency. It could be a joint statement, a declaration or a joint press conference. What is certain from our side is that Gen. Musharraf would address the press even if no joint press conference is scheduled along with Mr. Vajpayee'', a senior Pakistani Foreign Ministry official said.

It is now certain that Gen. Musharraf will meet prominent editors of the Indian media over breakfast on July 16. In the course of his recent interaction with Pakistani editors, Gen. Musharraf had accepted the suggestion for a meeting with a group of prominent Indian citizens during his visit.

``As the President would be landing in New Delhi only at 8.30 a.m. on July 14 and would head straight to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the ceremonial reception, there would be no time left for the breakfast meeting with prominent citizens. So, we have decided to invite a group of prominent editors to Agra for a breakfast session with Gen. Musharraf on July 16'', the official said.

As per the details of the programme of Gen. Musharraf's three-day visit available here, he would leave Islamabad by a special Pakistan Air Force plane fairly early in the morning and arrive at Palam airport at 8.30 a.m. The ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan is scheduled for 9.30 a.m.

Gen. Musharraf would then go to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He is scheduled to meet the External Affairs and Defence Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, at 11.15. a.m. followed by meetings with the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani and the Leader of the Opposition and Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi.

The Vice-President, Mr. Krishna Kant, is scheduled to call on him at 12.15 p.m. The Prime Minister would host a lunch in his honour at 1 p.m. Gen. Musharraf is scheduled to visit his ancestral house at Darya Ganj at 3 p.m. and from there he would go to Nizamuddin to visit the dargha there.

He would be the guest of honour at the much talked about tea- party being hosted by the Pakistan High Commissioner, Mr. Ashraf Jahangir Qazi, at 4.45 p.m. As of now, it is scheduled to be held at the Pakistan High Commission. Gen. Musharraf is scheduled to call on the President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, at 7.30 p.m. and it would be followed by a banquet hosted Mr. Narayanan in honour of the visiting dignitary at 8 p.m.

The Pakistan President is scheduled to take-off to Agra at 8.30 a.m. the next day. He is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister there for the summit dialogue. Gen. Musharraf along with his wife is will visit Taj Mahal by `environment-friendly vehicles'. A cultural programme has been arranged at 8 p.m. in his honour and the Uttar Pradesh Governor is hosting a dinner at 8.30 p.m.

The morning of July 16 has been kept free to finalise the summit outcome. He is to leave for Jaipur to visit Ajmer. Gen. Musharraf would be given a farewell at Jaipur as he boards the official plane back to Islamabad at 6.40 p.m. Begum Musharraf is scheduled to pay a visit to the famous cottage emporium in New Delhi and Fatehpur Sikri near Agra besides going to the handicraft emporium.

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