14th SAARC summit kicks off (11:15 am)

The 14th summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) kicked off in Indian capital New Delhi this morning.

All heads of states of the member states are participating in the conference.

The SAARC was formed in 1985 with the objective of promoting regional interest.

The summit this morning passed the policy finalised by the foreign minister level meeting of the SAARC.

The summit also elected head of the state of the host country, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the post of new chairman of SAARC.

Afghanistan has joined the SAARC as a full member from this summit. Japan, China and the US are participating as observers in the summit.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is representing Nepal in the 14th summit of the regional bloc.

Heads of the states are delivering their speech at the inaugural session of the summit. nepalnews.com pb Apr 03 07