recent DELHI, Dec. 4 Kyodo Indian...

recent DELHI, Dec. 4 Kyodo

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee forward Thursday confirmed his participation in a southern Asian summit in Islamabad nearest month, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

In a alphabetic character to Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zaffarullah Khan Jamali, delivered to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry in succession Thursday morning, Vajpayee ''confirmed his participation at the SAARC summit,'' India's External Affairs Ministry reportedly said in a statement, referring to the southern Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The prime minister's alphabetic character was in response to a note of invitation from Jamali upon Aug. 6, it said.

The report noted that Indian officials have said Vaypayee is bounce to come across Pakistani leaders at similar a forum, but there is no likelihood of any substantive talk in succession bilateral issues then because strange Delhi still insists that dialogue forward outstanding issues can start alone after Pakistan takes credible grades to end ''cross-border terrorism.''

The SAARC Summit is slated to take place from Jan. 1 to 6 among leaders from the seven-member grouping, which comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.

The sum of two units nuclear armed rivals, who have sparred for decades athwart the divided territory of Kashmir, have freshly been putting in place confidence-building measures to improve ties.

Vajpayee last visited Pakistan in February 1999 to suited with then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

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