DHAKA, Dec 18: Bangladesh and Nepal believe that leaders of the seven-nation Saarc should rise above bilateral bickering and show a strong “political will” to push forward the stalled process of regional cooperation.

The view emerged from a meeting on Thursday between Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, also the current chairperson of Saarc.

During the discussion, the two leaders agreed that the 12th Saarc summit, scheduled for January 4-6 in Islamabad, should focus on core agenda like poverty alleviation, trade and socio-economic issues, without dragging in bilateral issues.

Briefing newsmen on the talks, Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury said good India-Pakistan relations always had a positive impact on the Saarc summit.

Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s decision to attend the summit in Pakistan, ending the uncertainties over the meet, Mr Shamsher Mobin said, “It’s a good sign not only for the summit, but for South Asia as well.”