Nepalese Prime Minister to meet Chinese President

Kathmandu, Aug 22 (UNI) Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to hold a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao during his visit to China beginning tomorrow.

He will hold an-hour-long one-on-one meeting with the Chinese President on Monday, Kantipur, a Nepali newspaper, quoted official as saying.

Mr Dahal is leaving for Beijing tomorrow to attend the closing ceremony of Beijing Olympics.

He will also hold a joint meeting with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday and take part in the luncheon hosted by the Chinese premier in the honor of attending heads of states and governments.

Mr Dahal will attend a dinner at the Nepalese embassy also which will be attended by Chinese friends of Nepal, Nepalese ambassador to China Tank Karki said.

The Nepalese PM will lead an 11-member delegation, including his wife Sita Dahal, Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara and government officials.

This is Prime Minister Dahal's first foreign visit within a week of his election to the post of prime minister last week.

A senior Maoist leader told the BBC that India was not happy with the visit of the Nepalese Prime Minister to China.

Southern neighbour has expressed unhappiness over the visit saying it would not be good to visit China so soon, senior leader of the Maoists CP Gajurel told BBC Nepali service.

This is the first time that a Nepalese prime minister has visited China before visiting India. Earlier, all the prime ministers used to visit India before embarking to any foreign trip.

Prime Minister Dahal will also visit the Great Wall of China, the White Pagoda temple which was made by a Nepali artist known as Araniko, the Lama temple which was built from the wood of Nepal, Mao's grave and the Botanical Garden, Kantipur quoted Mr Karki as saying.

UNI XC GT AS1406