President holds talks with SAARC leaders [January 5, 2002 - 10.00 GMT]

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga held bilateral talks with the leaders of Nepal, Maldives, India and Bhutan on Friday. 

Kumaratunga met with the Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk. 

At talks held with Gayoom, both leaders had agreed that, although the SAARC charter forbids bilateral issues on its agenda, unofficial meetings between heads of state would aid in diffusing tension between countries. 

While talks with the Nepalese Prime Minster focused mainly on making the SAARC organization more efficient, Kumaratunga focused more on the progress of peace talks in her meeting with the Bhutanese Premier. 

Kumaratunga was reported to have had a 40-minute closed-door meeting with Vajpayee in Kathmandu. It is believed that the two discussed issues on terrorism and SAARC. Indian Spokeswoman, Anupama Rao, told the media that the talks were purely bilateral. Admitting that she was not completely aware of the details of the meeting, she said, “maybe they discussed a lot of serious issues.”

Contact Information: Send mail to webmaster@priu.gov.lk with questions or comments about this web site. 
Last Updated Date: January 5, 2002  - 10.00 GMT.