Pranab ''looking forward'' to Pakistan trip

New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said he was looking forward to his trip to Pakistan to extend invitations for the upcoming SAARC summit here in April, but did not reveal if he proposed to discuss outstanding bilateral issues.

''You will have to wait till I come back,'' he told mediapersons on the sidelines of the launch of the 'South Asia Defence and Strategic Yearbook 2007' here.

Mr Mukherjee said that apart from his meeting with Pakistan's head of the state and the Foreign Minister to invite them for the summit, he would also invite his counterpart Mr Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri for the Ministerial Conference preceding the summit.

Refering to the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today prior to his trip to Islamabad, he said this was a ''routine'' affair.

''Apart from my trip to Pakistan, we also discussed the situation in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives,'' Mr Mukherjee said.

During his visit to Islamabad during January 13-14, the Minister will meet President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Mr Kasuri.

Mr Mukherjee declined to answer a question regarding the functioning of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Musharraf had agreed upon during their recent meeting in Havana during the Non-Aligned Summit.

''Wait till I come back,'' he reiterated.

UNI