September 13, 2003	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1424

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KATHMANDU, Sept 12: Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on Friday officially invited Nepal’s Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa to a South Asian regional summit, officials said.

Kasuri met Thapa soon after his arrival here on a two-day visit in connection with the forthcoming 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) scheduled to be held in Islamabad in the first week of January 2004.

The summit was to have been held in Islamabad in January this year but India failed to confirm its attendance amid tensions with Pakistan.

India has indicated it will attend the rescheduled event, with moves underway by New.

The two also discussed bilateral issues and the current situation regarding Maoist rebels in Nepal who last month pulled out of a seven-month ceasefire and stepped up violence.—AFP