Indian Foreign Minister Meets With Kyrgyz Officials

BISHKEK. Indian Foreign Minister, Jaswant Sinha, held meetings with the Kyrgyz officials before concluding his visit to Bishkek. He met with President Askar Akayev, Prime Minister Nikiolai Tanaev, Defense Minister Esen Topoev and Foreign Minister, Askar Aitmatov. The Kyrgyz President said that Kyrgyzstan will support an initiative by the Indian Government to adopt at the United nations a special convention on fighting international terrorism.
The foreign ministers signed the bilateral Consulate Convention. During a press conference after the meeting, Sinha and Aitmatov praised a current level of bilateral relations between India and Kyrgyzstan. The two sides agree that any military operation against Saddam Hussein's regime has to be carried out only after the U.N.'s sanction for that, Aitmatov said. The Indian-Kyrgyz inter-governmental commission will gather on March 24-25, 2003.