New Delhi: The evolving situation in Iraq, progress in the war against terrorism, the Indo-Pak standoff and the Kashmir situation are expected to figure prominently during wide-ranging discussions Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will have with his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Bin Mohammed in New Delhi on October 17.

There will be a ''strong bilateral focus'' during the talks, an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters.

New Delhi attaches considerable significance to its relations with Malaysia, which is a key partner in ASEAN. He said that the situation in Iraq was bound to figure during the parleys.

Mahathir, who arrived in Hyderabad on a two-day visit to the country, went round HI- TEC (Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy) city, billed as Asia's largest IT park, where he was treated to a glimpse of the state's prowess in information technology.

The visit assumes added significance with the India-ASEAN summit being held in the first week of November in Cambodia.

PTI