Gujral to meet Sharief in Edinburgh

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will meet Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharief in Edinburgh in a bid to normalise relations between the two countries.

Both Gujral and Sharief will be in the Scottish city to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, scheduled from October 24 to 27.

Gujral, accompanied by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Foreign Secretary K Raghunath and other senior officials, will be the first Indian prime minister in six years to lead a delegation to the CHOGM.

The theme for the 54-member Commonwealth summit will be 'Trade, Investment and Development.' Gujral will be the key speaker at the inaugural ceremony.

The prime minister's seven-day European tour begins on October 21. Before Edinburgh, he would visit Germany and France.

Consolidation of dynamic bilateral relationship with Germany, restoration of ties with France after half a decade and the expansion of trade and investment with Commonwealth countries will be the main themes of his tour.

Gujral's first stop will be Bonn where he will have talks with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and meet the ministers for economy, education and science and technology. He will also address the German foreign policy institute and interact with leading industrialists and businessmen.

Germany is India's largest trading partner from Europe and the second largest globally -- its annual trade turnover stands at 96 billion dm and investment at 70 billion dm.

Gujral, scheduled to arrive in Paris on October 22, will seek to revive Indo-French relations which have been dead since the French supplied Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft to Pakistan and refused to clear projects like the HBJ pipeline in India.

The PM will meet French President Jacques Chirac and other ministers. He will also address the French national assembly and meet representatives of industry and business.

In Edinburgh, after the inaugural address by the queen of England and statements by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Commonwealth Secretary General Emeka Anayoku, Gujral will address CHOGM.

UNI