No meeting between PM and Gilani in Washington

I / Washington April 11, 2010, 8:32 IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani here during the Nuclear Security Summit, which the two leaders will attend.

Sources said no bilateral meeting has been scheduled between Singh and Gilani during the two-day Summit beginning Monday.

They said neither Pakistan nor India has sought a meeting.

The comments came hours after Pakistan dismissed media reports that there could be a "brief encounter" between Singh and Gilani in Washington.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said in Islamabad that Gilani and Singh will be in the same room during the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by US President Barack Obama.

They might come face to face and "shake hands" though no bilateral meeting has been scheduled, he said.

He was reacting to a Pakistani media report which said Singh and Gilani will have an encounter here.

Singh, however, will have meetings with leaders of some countries.