Saturday, June 10 2006 10:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India and Nepal have 'sorted out all their defence cooperation issues during talks with visiting Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said yesterday (June 9, 2006).

He told reporters after meeting the Nepali leader that a defence cooperation group would meet soon for further discussions.

One of Nepal's key donors, India suspended its military assistance to the neighbouring country when King Gyanendra assumed direct control last year.

"All issues relating to defence cooperation have been sorted out. Very soon, our defence cooperation group, the joint consultative committee, which is an institutional arrangement, will be meeting and they will be discussing the expanding areas of cooperation," Mukherjee said.

The Defence Minister, who hailed Koirala's first visit abroad to India since taking power in April as an excellent trip, welcomed reinstatement of the Nepali Parliament after 15 months of royalist rule in the Himalayan Kingdom.

"We welcome the process of consolidation of democratic forces in Nepal," Mukherjee said.

Also, he expressed the hope that talks between the Nepali government and Maoist rebels would be successful.

"They (the Nepali government) are engaged in talks (Maoists) and we hope they would find an amicable solution," he remarked.