Question : PRIME MINISTER`S MEETING WITH PAK PRESIDENT



(a) whether the Prime Minister had a meeting with the President of Pakistan during the SAARC Summit and some documents were also handed over to the latter;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the achievements of India during the SAARC Summit?

Answer given by the minister

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI OMAR ABDULLAH)


(a)-(b) Prime Minister did not hold any formal bilateral meetings or negotiations with the President of Pakistan on the sidelines of the 11th SAARC Summit Meeting, held in Kathmandu from 4-6 January 2002, and no document was handed over to the latter.

(c) The recent SAARC summit achieved progress on various issues pertaining to regional cooperation, including in economic & trade matters, poverty alleviation, the SAARC Social Charter and cooperation in the fight against terrorism. On the occasion the Foreign Ministers of SAARC Countries also signed two conventions-the `Convention on Preventing and Combating the Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution`, and the `Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia`.