New Delhi, Jan 1: A very warm welcome awaits Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he flies into Pakistan on
January three and he will be the country's honoured guest,
Pakistan deputy high commissioner Munawar Bhatti said today.
"Prime Minister Vajpayee will be our honoured guest. A
very warm welcome awaits him in Islamabad. We will extend all
the courtesies to him," Bhatti told mediapersons.
Asked whether Pakistan has made any request for a meeting
between President Pervez Musharraf and Vajpayee, Bhatti said
"we are the hosts. Our position is very clear. The two sides
should initiate bilateral dialogue as soon as possible".
Bhatti, who saw off External Affairs Minister Yashwant
Sinha at the Delhi airport before enplaning for Islamabad in a
special Boeing 737 IAF aircraft, said "we look forward to a
successful Saarc meeting".
Asked about the stumbling blocks in the way of the
seven-member Saarc grouping agreeing on the South Asia Free
Trade Area accord, he said the issue was still under
negotiations which was "quite exhaustive. We have to wait for
a consensus".
He said from the Pakistani side "there is no problem on
SAFTA". The Pakistani envoy said visas have been issued to more
than 300 journalists to visit Islamabad for the Saarc
summit.
Bureau Report
