PM will meet Powell, give 145;message from the top146;

Yesterday, while finalising Powell8217;s meetings with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra, the Government had not responded to a US request for an appointment with Vajpayee.

The question of whether or not he should meet Powell figured in the strategy session the Prime Minister held this afternoon with Sinha and Mishra. It was felt that there should be a strong message from 8216;8216;the top8217;8217; to give weight to whatever the others will convey to Powell.

The Secretary of State8217;s substantive meeting, of course, will be with Sinha over dinner on Saturday evening. The rest of his appointments have been squeezed into a period of two-and-a-half hours on Sunday morning. Powell is scheduled to address a press conference as well.

The essence of the message India wants to get across is that there is little evidence on the ground of the promised 8216;8216;permanent end8217;8217; to infiltration, as conveyed by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage on behalf of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf during his last visit to this region.

Indian concerns revolve around reports of some 3,500 trained terrorists amassed along the Line of Control, the terrorist training camps that continue to operate inside Pakistan, the launching posts that have not yet been dismantled and the widespread communication links that are still functioning between militants in Jammu and Kashmir and their commanders across the border.

These are some of the points the Prime Minister is expected to put across to Powell, while stressing that India has always been ready for a dialogue with Pakistan 8212; but only after cross border terrorism ceases once and for all.