ISLAMABAD, May 6: Foreign ministers of Pakistan and India on Friday held talks over telephone to finalize dates for the 13th Saarc summit scheduled to be held in Dhaka. According to the foreign office, Khurshid Kasuri telephoned his Indian counterpart K. Natwar Singh and discussed matters of mutual interest, including the finalization of the dates for the next Saarc summit.

Both foreign ministers exchanged views about the dates being discussed in this regard in the last quarter of 2005, the foreign office said, adding that the summit would be preceded by a meeting of the council of ministers. Mr Kasuri, as chairman of the council of ministers of Saarc, is holding consultations with other foreign ministers to finalize a set of dates which are acceptable to Saarc members for holding the summit during 2005.