Zardari expected to meet Singh on the sidelines of UNGA meet

Islamabad, Sep 10 (PTI) Pakistan's new President Asif Ali
Zardari expects to have his first meeting with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly
session in New York later this month as part of an effort to
ease recent strained relations between the two nations.

Shortly after his swearing in as the head of state,
Zardari told a news conference that he would attend the United
Nations General Assembly (U.N.G.A.), where he would take up
Pakistan's request to probe the assassination of his wife,
former premier Benazir Bhutto, as a "victim of terrorism".

Diplomatic sources were quoted by The News daily as
saying that there was a "definite desire on both
sides(Pakistan and India) that the two leaders" should meet on
the sidelines of the U.N. meet.

In his first utterances after assuming office, Zardari
vowed to work with all of Pakistan's neighbours to solve
regional problems and said there would be "some good news"
about efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue within this month.

The sources indicated that date and time for such a
meeting would be worked out through diplomatic channels.

Reports have suggested that the meeting between Singh and
Zardari is expected to take place between September 24 and 26.

The head of the Pakistani delegation is scheduled to
address the world body on September 25 while the Indian team's
leader will make his address the following day.

Earlier, there were indications that Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani would lead the Pakistani delegation to
the U.N.G.A., but this has changed after Zardari's elevation
to the post of President.

A possible meeting between Singh and Zardari would be
the second high-level political contact between the two
countries since last month's meeting between the prime
ministers of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (S.A.A.R.C.)
summit in Sri Lanka.

Ties between the two countries were strained by the
suicide bombing on the Indian embassy in Kabul, with both
Indian and Afghan officials saying that Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence agency was linked to the attack.

The protests in Jammu and Kashmir also affected ties,
with India slamming comments on the matter by Pakistani
leaders as interference in its internal affairs.

Matters were exacerbated after Pakistan's parliament
decided to set up a committee to monitor the situation in
Jammu and Kashmir and take up alleged rights abuses in the
Indian state. The composite dialogue process too was affected
by these developments.

However, after Zardari's assumption of office, both
countries have indicated a desire to work together.

In his congratulatory message to Zardari, Singh said
the ushering in of democracy in Pakistan offered new
opportunities to transform bilateral ties.

"We have the political will to work with you to seize
these opportunities and transform our relations. In your new
office, you will find a friend in India," Singh said.

At his first news conference after assuming office,
Zardari said the Pakistan government intended to take his
country "and our neighbours into the 21st century together".
He added: "We shall stand with each other, we shall not
stand in each other's way. This is a message not just for
Afghanistan but for all the neighbouring countries in our
region."