PM, Musharraf meet likely in New York

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, AUG. 18. There is a reasonable prospect that the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, will meet Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in New York during the last week of September.

Informed sources here say the proposal for a meeting between the two leaders on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly next month is under active consideration. But no decision has yet been made by the Government, they insist.

Both Mr. Vajpayee and Gen. Musharraf are slated to address the annual autumn session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next month in New York. Mr. Vajpayee's speech to the UNGA is scheduled on September 25; and Gen. Musharraf is likely to speak the day before.

Gen. Musharraf is reported to be planning an extended stay in New York from the third week of September. Mr. Vajpayee will be there for a shorter period. But there is enough of an overlap for the leaders to meet in New York and pick up the threads from their unfinished conversation at Agra last month.

There has been speculation in the media of both countries that the two leaders may not be able to meet in New York. But informed sources here say India has not ruled out the possibility of the second encounter between Mr. Vajpayee and Gen. Musharraf taking place at the headquarters of the United Nations.

Earlier this week a spokesman of the foreign office in Pakistan has been quoted as saying that a meeting in New York ``is not on the cards''. The indications here, however, are that India has conveyed clearly to Pakistan that such a meeting is under consideration.

Despite considerable criticism of the Government's handling of Gen. Musharraf's visit last month, Mr. Vajpayee has proclaimed repeatedly that the door for a dialogue with Pakistan is open at all levels.

Observers here say the hesitation in announcing the meeting between the two leaders may be rooted in the fact that both Governments are in the middle of a review of the state of play after the Agra summit.

Sources here suggest that the two Governments are likely to get in touch through diplomatic channels in the coming weeks to work out the modalities of the New York meeting.

A series of business-like encounters, without the hype and hoopla seen at Agra, between Mr. Vajpayee and Gen. Musharraf in the next few months at various multilateral fora may help generate the much needed political trust and confidence between the two Governments.

It is also possible that the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, will interact with his Pakistani counterpart, Mr. Abdus Sattar, at New York to prepare the ground for the possible talks between the heads of Governments.

Meanwhile it appears certain that Mr. Vajpayee will have an engagement with President George Bush of the United States, who would also be in New York to address the UNGA. The first meeting between the two leaders is expected to give further boost to Indo-U.S. relations which are on the upswing.

On his way to the United Nations, Mr. Vajpayee is likely to stop in Cyprus for consultations with the leadership of the Mediterranean nation. And on his way back, the Prime Minister will visit Tunisia in Northern Africa.

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