ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: South Asian leaders met here on Monday for nearly three hours at the Prime Minister's House, located at the foothills of the Margalla Hills, enabling them to take up serious issues in a serene atmosphere.

Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali received the guests as they arrived at the PM House. The last to arrive was Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee because of his meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf at the President House.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lyonpo Jigme Yaeser Thinley, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga arrived each with four of their aides, comprising foreign ministers, senior officials and the ministers-in-waiting.

Groups of performers from various parts of the country dancing to their local folk tunes and attired in their bright costumes greeted the guests as they drove into the Prime Minister House.

The guests were taken to the "west-end room", providing a scenic view of the Margalla hills and the rolling greens of the Prime Minister House. The retreat, usually a feature of such summits provides an opportunity for the heads to discuss issues not formally discussed during the regular proceedings of the Summit.

For well over an hour the leaders had an opportunity to talk about subjects of their choice, without any interference or any of the aides present. Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar in an earlier briefing said there was no set agenda for the retreat and any subject could come up.

They had a photo session before the lunch hosted by Prime Minister Jamali.Arrangements were earlier made to have it in the open, but the event was shifted inside owing to the slight drizzle.-APP