DHAKA, 4 May 2005 — Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan yesterday phoned his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to discuss the holding of the SAARC summit in Dhaka.
Khan, as the foreign minister of the host country, proposed that the summit either be held on Sept. 4-5 or Nov. 13-14.
According to diplomatic sources, Khan told Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh Dhaka had sent the proposal about the schedule to Islamabad, the current chair of SAARC.
Natwar told Khan he would respond to his proposal in a day or two.
Khan and Natwar discussed bilateral issues and agreed to resolve all irritants through dialogue. They also agreed to take necessary steps to keep peace on the border.
This is the second direct contact between the two foreign ministers after their meeting in Jakarta on the sidelines of Afro-Asian Summit last month.
Khan has invited Natwar to visit Dhaka, preferably before the SAARC summit, and a formal invitation was sent to him yesterday through diplomatic channel.
