PM not to indulge in public spat with Musharraf

On Board Air India One, Sep 15: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he did not want to indulge in a ''public discussion'' with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf ahead of their much-awaited meeting in Havana on Saturday.

Talking to journalists accompanying him on a special Air India flight from Brasilia to Havana, Dr Singh confirmed that he would meet Gen Musharraf in the Cuban capital on Saturday on the sidelines of the 14th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit beginning today.

He was responding to questions about Gen Musharraf's reported remarks in Brussels that he had made enough concessions and that it was now upto India to match them to take the peace process forward.

''Well, I don't want to indulge in a public discussion with President Musharraf. I look forward to meeting him and we will discuss several issues in the limited time that will be available to us,'' he said.

Asked if there would be a joint statement by them after their meeting, he said, ''That is too early to say. As I said it is a meeting on the sidelines of the NAM conference. We will see how it specifically proceeds. It is not ruled out and it is not ruled in, either.'' To another question, Dr Singh said that all issues related to the control of terrorism would figure in his discussions with Gen Musharraf.

''I am meeting him on the sidelines of the NAM conference, so I will have limited time and President Musharraf will also have limited time. So I don't promise you I am going to discuss each and every problem around,'' he said.

Asked about the fears of Pakistan's nuclear facilities falling into terrorists' hands, Dr Singh said both countries were aware of their responsibilities in safeguarding sensitive installations.

''I believe there are also arrangements--India and Pakistan exchange data about their nuclear installations.

''Therefore, we both recognise that this is a sensitive matter and there is an obligation to work together,'' he added.

Dr Singh was in Brasilia for bilateral talks with Brazilian leaders and for the first India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit.

After attending the two-day NAM summit, Dr Singh will leave Havana on September 17 and reach home on the night of September 18 after an overnight stay in Frankfurt.

UNI

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