NEW DELHI, Jan 11: Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha will brief US Secretary of State Colin Powell about the latest turn of events in Pakistan-India relations during his meeting with him in Washington later this month.

Yashwant Sinha, who leaves here on Jan 18, is expected to give a first-hand account of the India-Pakistan agreement to commence a composite dialogue on all bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir next month, said a news report carried by a leading Indian daily.

The agreement was reached in Islamabad in the wake of ice- breaking parleys held between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf on the eve of the Saarc Summit.

Colin Powell, who had telephoned Sinha to congratulate on the pact, expressed the hope that it would lead to normalization of India-Pakistan ties. Iraq and Afghanistan are also likely to figure prominently during the talks, added the report.-APP