New York, Sept 22: With the Middle East process high on the agenda of the ongoing u n general assembly session, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today had a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom and is understood to have discussed the latest situation in the volatile region. The meeting comes barely ten days after the landmark first visit of Israeli premier Ariel Sharon to India.

India has strongly opposed any move by Israel to expel Palestine President Yasser Arafat, saying that he was the elected leader of the Palestinians.

India and Israel in their joint statement in New Delhi after Sharon's visit had called for complete cessation of violence for the peace process in the Middle East to succeed. As part of his bilateral interactions with world leaders on the fringes of the UNGA, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held talks with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. The meeting assumes significance in the wake of Commonwealth summit being held in Lagos in December this year.

New York Governor G Pataki also called on Vajpayee.

Bureau Report