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Josy Joseph in Kathmandu
Officials of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation are looking at ways to hold a truncated retreat for the heads of the seven regional nations on Saturday afternoon.
According to Major General Rashid Qureshi, delegations of the seven countries are continuing consultations on holding a retreat in Kathmandu itself after the opening session in the morning.
The original full-day retreat slated for Saturday at Nagarkot, a township 32 km away from Kathmandu, had to be cancelled after Friday's opening session was postponed.
General Qureshi said the retreat would provide the heads of the nations a chance to hold consultations among themselves.
When asked if Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf would hold informal discussions, he said Pakistan had always demanded bilateral meetings to sort out disputes.
He said Pakistan always believed that there was a "requirement, need and desire" for meetings between the leaders. He said India was aware of Pakistan's stand.
On External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's claim that India had repeatedly handed over evidence to Pakistan on terrorists on its soil, General Qureshi said he was not aware of any such proof.
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