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Summit venue to be decided on Wednesday

Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi

A second team from the prime minister's office will visit Agra on Wednesday to decide the venue for Atal Bihari Vajpayee's summit with President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.

The team will also decide on the logistics of conducting the summit.

A report submitted by Manbir Singh, chief of protocol, is being vetted at the PMO.

In his report, Singh has explained the pros and cons of the three hotels shortlisted in Agra.

The security factor will ultimately decide the venue, rather than the luxury factor, the sources told rediff.com

Interestingly, one of the decisions pending is whether Vajpayee should take a stroll along with General Musharraf in front of the magnificent Taj Mahal.

It is almost certain that General Musharraf and Begum Sehba Musharraf will not miss the visit to the Taj.

Another important matter to be decided is the overnight stay of the two leaders in Agra. One section believes they should be put up in separate hotels in view of the terrorist threat to both leaders.

The sources, however, confirmed that Vajpayee would not join Musharraf in his pilgrimage to Ajmer.

They added, "Thanks to the influence of Hindi films, both leaders will speak in Hindustani. Anyway, Musharraf does not speak chaste Urdu."

Meanwhile, the PMO has been informed that some 200 Pakistani journalists are seeking visas to report on the summit. Another 250 journalists from Western countries and Southeast Asia are expected to descend on Agra. And, according to an official estimate, about 600 Indian journalists will seek security passes to cover the event.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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