Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan while briefing the newsmen on the latest development yesterday also said that the new schedule for the meeting has been set after consultation with all the seven member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

Current Saarc Chair, Pakistan, formally announced the new dates yesterday. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told a news agency that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had consulted all members and there was consensus on the new dates.

The summit had originally been slated to take place between January 9 and 11, but Prime Minister Khaleda Zia deferred it in the wake of December 26 tsunami disaster that cost over 1,60,000 lives along the Indian Ocean coastlines with some of the Saarc member states being worst-hit.

Though the fresh schedule suggests dropping of a day from what has been a three-day affair, foreign minister of the host country said, "We are not cutting any vital programme of the summit. We are only advancing the closing ceremony by one day."

Replying to a query, Morshed Khan said, "We want to make the summit more businesslike. We want to make Saarc an intensive forum for regional and economic cooperation."

All venues for the Saarc summit would remain unchanged while dinner to be hosted by the president has been dropped. But the banquet by the host prime minister would be held on February 6.

Morshed Khan said all the Saarc member countries have been contacted over telephone and they have given their consents on the fresh dates of the meet.

According to new schedule, the pre-summit meetings will start on February 1 to do the spadework for the South Asian leaders.

Saarc programming committee will meet on February 1-2, standing committee on February 3-4 and council of ministers on February 5.

Morshed Khan said Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh called him on Thursday evening and proposed February 6-7 as the date for the summit. He said he had discussed the new schedule with Pakistan as well.