June 1, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19,1423

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NEW DELHI, May 31: India said on Friday Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would raise the issue of what he calls Pakistani-sponsored “cross-border terrorism” at a regional summit next week but he would not meet Pakistan’s leader.

Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf are due in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital, Almaty, next week for a summit of 16 countries.

“It (cross-border terrorism) will some find some reflection in some way or the other. Every head of state has to make a statement,” Indian foreign ministry official R. Abhyankar told a news conference.

Asked if Vajpayee wanted to meet Musharraf in Almaty, Abhyankar said: “No.”

Vajpayee and Musharraf last met for a tense handshake and the exchange of a few words at a South Asian summit in Kathmandu in early January.

Abhyankar said Vajpayee would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a host of issues including the India-Pakistan stand-off, but the schedule is being worked out.

The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building measures in Asia meets for the first time in Almaty on Monday.

The 16 members include China, Russia, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine, Iran and Turkey. Ten other countries have observer status, including the United States, Australia and Japan.—Reuters