PM to leave for France, Egypt tomorrow

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow heads for France and Egypt, during which he will meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in the hope of getting a categoric commitment that Mumbai attackers would be punished and cross-border terror stopped.

Ahead of his meeting with Gilani in Sharm-el Sheikh in Egypt on the margins of NAM Summit, Singh made it clear that New Delhi would "do all that is necessary" to resolve all outstanding issues if Pakistan takes "credible action" to deal with terrorist elements targeting India.

Noting that he was looking forward to his meeting with Gilani, Singh said he was hoping that the Pakistani leader would give a "renewed reaffirmation" to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 attacks to justice and that they would not allow Pakistani soil to be used for terror acts directed against India.

The Singh-Gilani meeting, expected on July 16, will take place one month after the Indian leader met President Asif Ali Zardari in Yekaterinburg in Russia. During that meeting, Singh had bluntly told Zardari in media glare that Pakistan must end terror directed against India.

In the first leg of his five-day visit, Singh will travel to Paris where he will be the Chief Guest at French National Day on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian leader to have such an exceptional honour.

An External Affairs Ministry release said the visit is expected to further enhance the "strategic partnership" between India and France.