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Kasuri coming for joint commission meeting

Amit Baruah

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon travels to Islamabad next month


  • Meeting-a-month record to continue in March
  • Meeting of anti-terror mechanism in Islamabad

    NEW DELHI: It is going to be a record of sorts for India and Pakistan. Foreign Ministers of both countries are scheduled to meet in successive months — after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee travelled to Islamabad in January — Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is set to arrive here on February 20 for a joint commission meeting.

    Official sources told this correspondent that Mr. Kasuri and Mr. Mukherjee would co-chair the ``revived'' joint commission on February 21.

    This will be their third meeting since Mr. Mukherjee took charge: They first met here in November 2006 when Mr. Kasuri was here on a personal visit.

    As per the agreement to revive the joint commission, the two countries agreed that technical-level working groups on agriculture, health, science & technology, information, education, information technology and telecommunication, environment and tourism would precede the meeting.

    The meeting-a-month record is likely to continue in March too when Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon travels to Islamabad to commence the next round of composite dialogue. A meeting of the anti-terrorism mechanism is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on March 6.

    In end of March, early-April, Mr. Kasuri will be here again for a meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Foreign Ministers in advance of the April 3 and 4 SAARC summit.

    As is known, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will attend the summit.

    During Mr. Kasuri's visit for the joint commission meeting, at least one agreement — on Reducing the Risk from Accidents Relating to Nuclear Weapons — is scheduled to be signed. The document was initialled during the visit of Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan in November 2006.

    On January 14, the External Affairs Minister said in Islamabad that several agreements, which were near or close to finalisation would be concluded during the February visit of Mr. Kasuri.

    Apart from the nuclear risk reduction accord, Mr. Mukherjee spoke of two other agreements: speedy return of inadvertent Line crossers and prevention of incidents at sea. ``We agreed to facilitate movement of diplomats to Noida and Gurgaon in India and Taxila and Hasan Abdal in Pakistan. Procedures for this will be worked out,'' he announced. So far, no agreement on these procedures has been made public.

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