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S Asia leaders in Colombo summit India-Pakistan row clouds summit
(1 day later)
Leaders of eight South Asian countries are arriving in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, for a weekend regional summit. The prime ministers of India and Pakistan are set to meet on the sidelines of a regional summit in Sri Lanka, amid a worsening political row.
Heavy security is in place for the meeting between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan. Pakistan has denied allegations its spies helped bomb the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, and there have been renewed border tensions over Kashmir.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers rebels, seeking a separate state in Sri Lanka's north, have declared a unilateral ceasefire throughout the talks. The row threatens to overshadow the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) summit in Colombo.
But Sri Lanka has rejected the truce and has increased security in Colombo. Eight nations are meeting to discuss issues including terrorism and poverty.
Leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan are involved in the talks, along with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers.
'Total rubbish'
On Friday, Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said dialogue with Pakistan was in "a state where it hasn't been in the past four years".
India's Manmohan Singh will meet Pakistan's Yousuf Raza Gilani
"We face a situation where things have happened in the recent past which were unfortunate," he said.
Officials from India and Afghanistan have publicly accused elements in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of involvement in last month's Kabul embassy attack, which killed 41 people and injured 141.
On Friday, newspaper reports in the US quoted Washington sources levelling the same accusations against the ISI.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued another denial, describing the claims as "total rubbish".
Tensions between Pakistan and India - Saarc's biggest and most powerful members - have also been exacerbated by continued hostilities in the disputed border area of Kashmir.
India has accused Pakistan of violating a ceasefire accord in Kashmir, and troops from both sides traded gunfire earlier this week.
Terrorism issues
Heavy security is in place for the Colombo conference, as fighting in Sri Lanka's decades-long civil conflict continues.
Tamil Tiger rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire throughout the talks - but the government rejected the truce.
There were reports of new military battles in rebel-held areas in the run-up to the summit.There were reports of new military battles in rebel-held areas in the run-up to the summit.
Some 19,000 police officers and soldiers are on the streets of Colombo for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit. The key issue under discussion at the talks will be whether the Saarc countries can help each other to fight crime, including terrorism.
No chances are being taken with security as South Asia's leaders arrive.
Colombo has previously been a target for bombers, with 20 people killed and 80 injured in a bus explosion in June.
Major issues
When talks get underway on Saturday one key issue will be whether the Saarc countries can help each other to fight crime, including terrorism.
Food security and trying to improve the lot of the poor will feature too.Food security and trying to improve the lot of the poor will feature too.
The region is home to the one-fifth of humanity, but hundreds of millions of South Asians live in poverty. The region is home to the one-fifth of of the world's population, but hundreds of millions of South Asians live in poverty.
However, since Saarc was founded in 1985, the group's summits have been long on rhetoric but short on follow-up action, says the BBC's Roland Buerk, in Colombo. Analysts say since Saarc was founded in 1985, the group's summits have been long on rhetoric but short on follow-up action.
The regional grouping has been overshadowed by tension and hostility between its two biggest members, India and Pakistan. The regional grouping has often been overshadowed by tension and hostility between India and Pakistan.
The prime ministers of the two countries are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.