Ever since, and before the Mumbai blasts sent bilateral ties into the cold storage, speculation had been rife about the possibility of the Indian PM visiting Islamabad. It is significant that Shiv Shankar Menon, the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad is moving to Delhi as Foreign Secretary. Menon is said to have played an important part in the thawing of relations between the two neighbours in January 2004.

His presence in Havana, and then taking charge as Foreign Secretary is said to be seen as an advantage for the “peace process” at this difficult time. The first of a series of interactions the PM has planned on the sidelines of the Summit was with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. It lasted about 10 minutes.

Earlier, the PM had said that as a signatory to the Nuclear NPT, Iran had all the rights to peacefully use nuclear energy and has to keep all obligations under it. He had said there should be no coercive action and that, in case of doubts on Iran’s nuclear programme, the issue should be discussed and resolved through dialogue.