Pakistan, Indian officials to meet at Asia summit

Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers will sit at the same table tomorrow for the first time since the dispute over Islamic militant attacks on India’s Parliament pushed the nuclear neighbours to the brink of war.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and his Indian counterpart, Jaswant Singh, will participate in a general meeting tomorrow and Thursday of foreign ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). They will set an agenda for the seven national leaders to discuss at their summit meeting from Friday to Sunday.

The United States, European nations and the United Nations have urged the Pakistani and Indian leaders to take advantage of this week’s meetings in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal to discuss their differences and the cause of rising tension along their 1,100-mile border.

Pakistani officials said they were willing to meet their Indian counterparts, adding that even civil greetings would help to ease the bad feelings that led both countries to amass troops along the border and exchange mortar fire.

Indian leaders said no substantive one-on-one talks will be held until the Islamabad government meets India’s demands to halt the activities of militants who cross the frontier and stage attacks in Indian territory.

‘‘No meeting is planned with Pakistan at any level,’’ said Ashok Tandon, a spokesman for Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is scheduled to have dinner with Nepal’s new King Gyanendra after arriving on Thursday.

The Nepalese hosts had feared that the tension might force the cancellation of the SAARC summit for a third year. They expressed hope that a retreat for the leaders on Saturday at the village of Nagarkot, with a view of the Himalayan range and Mount Everest, might be conducive to talks.

A spokesman for Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf suggested that the two men would have no choice but to meet at the resort lodge.

‘‘There is no scheduled meeting, but what else is the retreat (for)?’’ said Ashfa Ahmad Gondal, the principal spokesman for Pakistan’s government.

‘‘It is rather impossible that Gen Musharraf is looking toward south and Mr Vajpayee is looking toward north at the retreat,’’ Gondal said. ‘‘When niceties are exchanged, it will be the beginning of something more positive.’’

He also said that a meeting between the foreign ministers ‘‘can’t be ruled out’’.

Nirupama Rao, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokeswoman, told a news conference that despite its dispute with Pakistan, New Delhi was not ‘‘ruling out civilities’’. Greetings and handshakes are likely.

She also said that three days of meetings among the nations’ foreign secretaries, preparing topics for the foreign ministers and leaders to discuss, had been ‘‘cordial and constructive.’’

SAARC was founded in 1985 to promote regional trade among India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. But the tense relations between India and Pakistan which account for 85% of South Asia’s population have slowed progress on establishing a free trade zone in the region.

There had been fears that the summit, postponed from November because of the pending war in Afghanistan, might be delayed again by the hostility between India and Pakistan since the attack on December 13 on the Parliament in New Delhi.

India accused Pakistan of sponsoring the attack, which New Delhi claims was carried about by Islamic militants based in Pakistan. Islamabad denied any involvement and insists that militants who stage attacks in India’s portion of Kashmir are freedom fighters.

Tens of thousands of troops have amassed along both sides of the border and an increase in cross-border shelling has left dozens dead since the Parliament attack.