KATHMANDU, Jan 6: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Sunday she helped arrange a “bilateral chat” in Kathmandu between President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

“They were talking for 10 to 15 minutes before I left the room. Even when I left they were talking very animatedly,” Kumaratunga told reporters.

She said she was in a room with Vajpayee and Musharraf waiting for their escorts to leave a conference hall when she suggested that the two arch-rival leaders hold a closed-door bilateral meeting.

“The Pakistan president started talking directly about their problems. He started speaking first in English, then he switched to Hindi or Urdu,” said Kumaratunga, who does not speak the latter two languages.

She said a short while later the foreign ministers of the two countries joined in the conversation and 10 to 15 minutes later she decided to leave them alone.

“Just before we were to leave the conference hall, there was a very auspicious thing. Other leaders had left, only myself, President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee were left.

“I just jokingly said this is the right time for a bilateral summit. Then they started talking.”

She said she felt India and Pakistan appeared ready to resolve their problems and there was a prospect of de-escalating tensions.

“Pakistan is keen to defuse tension and I hope India will not object,” Kumaratunga said.

COURTESY CALL: President Pervez Musharraf went to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s room to pay a courtesy call before leaving Kathmandu, a Pakistani official said.