Gilani says he will meet Singh with 'open mind'

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Egypt, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said he will approach it with an "open heart and positive mind" as he underlined the need for "building bridges instead of erecting walls". Gilani, who arrived in this Red Sea resort to attend the 15th NAM Summit, said he wanted to improve relations with India and that he would meet Singh with a "positive spirit."

"Efforts should be made to build bridges between the two countries instead of erecting walls," Gilani told the Indian media here when asked about his much-awaited meeting with Singh. Singh and Gilani will meet on Thursday at Hotel Maritim Jolie Ville Golf Resort in Sharm-el-Sheikh with the Indian leader hoping to get a categoric commitment that the Mumbai terror accused would be quickly brought to justice and Pakistan's soil will not be used for terror acts against India. The Pakistan Premier said his country was "steadfast" on its determination to fight terrorism and extremism and asserted that Islamabad would continue making efforts to eradicate the menace. "Pakistan is a frontline state in war against terror and its role for regional peace must be acknowledged," Gilani said.

Gilani's comments came hours before Foreign Secretaries of the two countries were to meet to discuss the progress made by Pakistan in the probe into the Mumbai terror attacks and the action it has taken to dismantle terror infrastructure there.

The officials will report to their principals on their discussions which India wants focused on Pakistan's action against the terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks. Setting the tone for the meeting between the two officials, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said India would like a "visible response" from Pakistan whose commitment is to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and the earlier attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. "I think Pakistan should give us an undertaking that they will not not let their soil to be used for terrorist activities directed against India," he said.