Another 'chance encounter' of SM Krishna, Shah Mehmood Qureshi at UN

External affairs minister SM Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi had their second 'chance encounter' here, amid speculation about a bilateral meeting between them on the margins of the UN General Assembly session.

Qureshi ran into Krishna at the meeting of the Commonwealth foreign ministers here last night, but it was not known what transpired between them.

While it is still not clear whether they would hold a bilateral meeting, Qureshi told reporters that "some suggestions" had been sent to India to take the talks forward and he was now awaiting its response.

"The talks can take place immediately if a positive response is received," he said, adding that any meeting needs to be "meaningful" and should produce results.

On Thursday last, Krishna and Qureshi had a similar "chance encounter" at the UN headquarters' parking lot here while coming out of two separate meetings. 

At that time, Krishna had asked Qureshi about the flood situation in Pakistan and how the relief efforts were coming along.

Qureshi, in turn, had spoken about the steps his government was taking and also thanked India for its aid of $20 million routed through the UN.