Pak Prez Musharraf makes PM wait at airport

Havana, Sep 15: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to wait for about half an hour before disembarking from his aircraft here today because of the welcome ceremonies for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who had landed just before him.

The special Air India aircraft, which carried Dr Singh and his delegation from Brasilia to Havana, had to wait for some 30 minutes before getting its slot at the Jose Marti International airport here.

With leaders of some 115 countries slated to arrive here for the 14th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit beginning here today, the airport authorities had a tough time.

Indian officials said it was normal for such delays to occur when a large number of VIP flights land one after the other for such events.

Dr Singh's meeting with Gen Musharraf tomorrow on the sidelines of the summit will be the highlight of the Prime Minister's three-day stay here.

He was received at the airport by senior Indian and Cuban officials and accorded a tri-services guard of honour.

The Prime Minister reached here from Brasilia where he had attended the first summit of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit held there on September 13.

On Tuesday, he had bilateral talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the end of which the two sides signed nine agreements aimed at boosting their economic and political ties.

The Prime Minister will leave here on September 17 and reach home on the night of September 18 after an overnight stay in Frankfurt.

UNI

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