Kathmandu: Nepal and India have agreed to form a border district co-ordinating committee to sort out border related issues and strengthen security to check terrorism and trans-border crimes.

During the two-day Home Secretary-level talks between Indian Home Secretary N Gopalaswami and his Nepalese counterpart Ananta Raj Pandey, which ended yesterday (Feb 3, 2004), the two sides agreed to increase vigilance along the border and strengthen security mechanism to check cross-border terrorism and crimes, Home Ministry Spokesman Gopendra Bahadur Pandey said.

A Home Ministry official also said that India has responded "positively" to deporting and repatriating the Maoists listed in the Red Corner notice of Interpol.

In order to enhance effectiveness of the border mechanism, a meeting of the joint working group on border management will be held every three months, Pandey said.

On Nepal's request, India has also shown its commitment to sort out the air travel problem of children aged between 10 to 18 years, he said.

Indian Home Secretary Gopalswami had called on Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa at his residence at Baluwatar yesterday, official sources said, adding during the meeting they discussed bilateral co-operation on matters of mutual interests.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran was also present on the occasion.