New Delhi, Sept 15: India today ruled out any meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf or any other bilateral meeting between the two sides on the margins of the forthcoming UN general assembly session. It also appeared cold to moves by Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mohammad Kasuri to visit India to hand over invitation to Prime Ministe Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the SAARC visit in Islamabad in January next year.
"No", was the curt response of foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal when asked whether there would be any bilateral meeting at any level between India and Pakistan in New York during Vajpayee's visit.
On reports that Kasuri would visit India to extend the invitation, Sibal pointed out that the SAARC standing committee of foreign secretaries had already finalised the dates which were known to all member countries.
"It is not as if under the SAARC charter or on the basis of established practice personal handing over of invitation is required. It is a different matter that X, Y or Z may choose to do so. But this is not a requirement," he said.
Observing that the summit dates and the invitation to attend it were there, he said "there is no need to reinforce the invitation by any personal invitation."
He also said there was no official intimation from the Pakistani side "to the effect that he is desirous of visiting New Delhi".
"Dates have been fixed and we are working according to them," he said on whether Vajpayee would travel to Islamabad for the summit. Bureau Report