India is interested in making the open-ended ceasefire with Pakistan a permanent one, Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said in New Delhi Thursday. 

"India is interested in making this a permanent ceasefire. It is incumbent on both countries to ensure that the ceasefire holds," Sinha told reporters at Delhi Airport before taking a special IAF Boeing-737 aircraft for Islamabad for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit. 

"It will be our hope that both India and Pakistan will continue to ensure that this ceasefire remains in place," he said.

Asked whether there will be any bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani leaders on the sidelines of the SAARC summit, Sinha said "there will be meetings. There will be a number of occasions for official meetings and meeting socially. Apart from that there is no other meeting planned."

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2004)