Tuesday, November 8 2005 18:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India will back Afghanistan's inclusion as a new member of SAARC at the summit of the seven-nation regional group in Dhaka later this week.

"We will welcome Afghanistan as a member of SAARC," Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed, who will represent India and the SAARC Ministerial meeting on November 11, told sources here.

The issue of Afghanistan's entry into SAARC is expected to be taken up during the Dhaka meet.

Ahamed will go in place of K Natwar Singh who has been divested of the External Affairs Ministry portfolio in the wake of Government announcing a judicial probe into allegations made in the Volcker Committee report on pay offs to him and the Congress party in Iraqi oil deals during the Saddam Hussein regime in 2001.

Ahamed, who was on a visit to Sudan leading an 18-member business delegation, cut short his visit and returned to the capital this morning following instructions from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he should represent India at the Dhaka minsiterial meet. He will fly to Dhaka on November 10.

The Prime Minister will be attending the two-day Summit beginning on November 12. The Summit will be preceded by meetings of the SAARC Council of Ministers and Foreign Secretaries. Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will be leaving for Dhaka tomorrow (Nov 09, 2005).