Krishna, Qureshi likely to meet Monday

UNITED NATIONS - Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is likely to meet with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here, a media report said.

The date and time of the meeting have yet to be agreed upon, but diplomats here told Dawn News the meeting would probably take place Monday.

Krishna had a “chance encounter” with Qureshi at the UN Friday, where they greeted each other warmly and talked about the floods in Pakistan.

Krishna stressed there was no alternative to talks with Pakistan and said he was ready to discuss all issues, including Kashmir.

The chance encounter was their first interaction since their meeting in Islamabad in July.

“Well, I was in Islamabad and we did talk and I have invited Excellency Qureshi to come to India and he has very graciously accepted my invitation,” the Indian minister was quoted as saying.

“I am looking forward to hosting him in Delhi… and the dates have to be worked out.”

A Pakistani diplomat, however, said Qureshi had told his Indian counterpart that Islamabad sought a result-oriented meeting, not another photo opportunity.

“Foreign Minister Shah Memood Qureshi has made it clear we don’t want a meeting for the sake of photo-op. We want a real substantive meeting,” he said.