Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the first among the eight heads of state to land in Kathmandu Tuesday.
The leaders will attend the 18th SAARC summit to be held Wednesday (28) and engage in bilateral talks with nine observer countries during the two-day meeting.
Nepal Information Dept. officials said the leaders will fly to Dhulikhel, 30 km southeast of Kathmandu, for an informal retreat Thursday before the closing ceremony of the summit.
The South Asian leaders are expected to sign three agreements on motor vehicles, railways and energy cooperation, which are aimed at deepening regional cooperation under the theme of "Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity".
Foreign ministers arrived in Kathmandu for a ministerial meeting Tuesday.
The Foreign Ministers who had arrived in Kathmandu for a ministerial meeting on Tuesday (25) had discussed and reached concrete decisions on issues of common interest, and had given the final touches to a declaration expected to be adopted at the summit.(KH)
