Manmohan to meet Khomenei and Ahmadinejad

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will leave for Iran on August 28, 2012 to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit, which will be preceded by crucial bilateral talks with Iran’s supreme leader Ayotollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A host of meetings with the leaders of other NAM countries, including Pakistan, is also likely to take place on the sidelines of the 16th Summit of the 120-nation grouping, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said on Saturday while briefing reporters in New Delhi on Prime Minister’s four-day Iran visit. Dr. Singh’s bilateral meeting with Iranian leadership take place at a time when the U.S. is pushing India to reduce engagement with Iran and implement sanctions imposed by some countries over its controversial nuclear programme.