PM Dahal leaves for China

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal left for China on Saturday to attend the closing ceremony of Beijing Olympics.

The first meeting of the newly formed cabinet held on Friday evening had approved the decision to send an 11-member delegation led by PM Dahal to China.

Ministers, foreign diplomats, leaders of political parties, chiefs of security agencies and government officials were present at the Tribhuvan International Airport to see him off.

Briefly talking to media persons at the airport, Dahal said the visit is meant to represent the country at the concluding ceremony of the Olympic Games.

The delegation includes PM's wife Sita Poudel, Minister for Information and Communication Krishna Bahadur Mahara, foreign secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya and two security guards of the PM.

During the absence of PM Dahal, Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai will carry out the duty as acting PM.

During his stay in Beijing the PM is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao and president Hu Jin Tao. He will return home on Aug 27. nepalnews.com Aug 23 08