ISLAMABAD, Jan. 4 Kyodo (EDS: UPD...

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 4 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will suited Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf onward Monday on the sidelines of a southern Asian summit, India's foreign minister said Sunday.

Vajpayee has asked to pay a courtesy call upon Musharraf and is reckon uponed to meet the Pakistani leader at a mutually convenient time, Yashwant Sinha told reporters in the Pakistani capital.

Vajpayee arrived in Pakistan forward Saturday to attend the 12th summit of the seven-nation southern Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which make opened Sunday.

The summit is also being attended at leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.

Vajpayee and Musharraf last met at a southern Asian summit at Agra in India in July 2001 during which the brace sides failed to thrash not at home their differences.

Earlier in the day, Vajpayee held a one-on-one meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Zafar ullah Jamali after the inaugural session of the summit.

The sum of two units leaders met ''in a warm and friendly atmosphere'' for about half an hour including a 15-minute interaction at themselves, Sinha said.

''Both leaders agreed impetus which has been created in bilateral relations should be maintained,'' the Indian foreign minister added.

The latest courtesy gesticulates indicate a thaw in tensions between the couple nuclear rivals, which is awaited to pave way for the resumption of stalled dialogue between the couple sides.

The earlier SAARC meetings have been marred by way of bilateral bickering between the grouping's pair largest members.

In an extraordinary action of goodwill and reconciliation, neither side made any direct regard to Kashmir dispute in speeches made at the inaugural session Sunday of the three-day summit.

In his address to the delegates, Vajpayee urg toward the south Asian leaders to abate barriers of political prejudice and present to view the political will which will make the region an economic powerhouse of the world in the coming years.

''We have to change southward Asia's image and standing in the world. We must make the fearless transition from mistrust to trust, from discord to accord, and from tension to peace,'' Vajpayee said.

He also called forward the members of the regional grouping to re-establish the bonds of religion, language, ethnicity and agriculture which binds them to jointly domineer over poverty, disease and hunger.

''We have the potential, talent and resources to make southward Asia an economic powerhouse of the world. We sole need the necessary political will to make this happen. This is the agenda which we leaders of SAARC should strive to advance in the coming years,'' the Indian prime Minister said.

During the summit, the leaders are put to approve a regional unrestrained trade deal as well as an additional protocol for fighting terrorism and a social charter for alleviation of deficiency among member states.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from British regularity in 1947 and have arise close to a conflict twice since they one as well as the other crossed the nuclear threshold in 1998

Relations between the sum of two units worsened in the wake of the December 2001 deadly attack forward the Indian parliament that just discovered Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based Kashmiri militants. Pakistan denied involvement in the attack.

Heightened tensions between Pakistan and India l to the cancellation of last year's SAARC summit.

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