By IANS,
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is set for hectic diplomacy in New York next week that could include meetings with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hinna Rabbani Khar as well as talks with his counterparts from various multilateral groupings, including IBSA and G4.
Krishna leaves Sept 20 for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to the US on a four-day visit to participate in the UNGA.
There is a strong possibility of a bilateral meeting with Khar, especially in view of the improved atmospherics following the talks between the two in New Delhi in July.
The talks could set the stage for a meeting between Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Krishna is also likely to hold a slew of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal and Russia.
Besides bilateral meetings, Krishna will attend the ministerial meeting of IBSA comprising India, Brazil and South Africa. The meeting will set the stage for the IBSA summit in Durban next month.
With the move for UN Security Council reforms gathering momentum, Krishna will also hold talks with his counterparts from G4 countries that include India, Japan, Brazil and Germany.
The G4 initiative has been flagging for some time, but the
the start of the text-based negotiations for the reform of the UN Security Council earlier this year has breathed a new life into the grouping that is pitching for the inclusion of the four countries in an expanded UN Security Council.
The dates for these meetings are being firmed up, said a government source.
In his address to the UN Security Council Sept 24, Manmohan Singh is expected to argue forcefully for the reform of global institutions of governance.
Besides the IBSA and G4, Krishna may also attend the ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the sidelines of the UNGA.
These meetings acquire an added significance in view of a host of multilateral summits like IBSA, East Asia Summit and G20 in the next three months.