Saturday, June 11 2005 20:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Twice-postponed summit of seven SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations will be held in Dhaka on November 12 and 13, Pakistan Prime Minister and Chairman of the grouping Shaukat Aziz announced in Islamabad today (Jun 11, 2005).

All the member countries -- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives, have agreed on the dates, he said.

The SAARC summit, which was first scheduled to be held in January in Dhaka, was postponed in the wake of tsunami disaster that struck India and Sri Lanka besides some other countries.

It was again postponed in February because of developments in Nepal where King Gyanendra assumed power after dismissing the Government of Sher Bahadur Deuba and declared a state of emergency.

The Dhaka summit is expected to review the security situation in the region as also progress on South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) and the grouping's initiative to alleviate poverty and improve facilities for education, health and environment among the member countries.