Vajpayee agrees to visit Maldives: Sinha

Colombo, July 11: Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee has accepted an invitation from President M A Gayoom of the Maldives to visit the country, external affairs
minister Yashwant Sinha said today.

"The visit is likely to take place most likely in the
third week of September," Sinha told reporters on arrival at
the Bandaranaike international airport here from male.

He said he had "fruitful discussions" with president
Gayoom and the speaker of the Maldivian Parliament, Abdullah Hameed.

Officials in Male said Sinha held bilateral discussions
over dinner with the acting Foreign Minister Ahmed Abdullah
last night.

He also visited the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and
the faculty of engineering technology there.

Bureau Report