ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has arrived in Pakistan, the first such visit in nearly five years, CNN reported Saturday.
Vajpayee is attending a South Asian summit seen as a historic opportunity for the the rivals to build on recent peace initiatives.
It is Vajpayee's first visit to Pakistan since a summit in Lahore, Pakistan, in February 1999. Since then the two nuclear-armed nations have almost gone to war twice over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Vajpayee has said he wants to make a final push for peace in his lifetime, and ties have gradually warmed over the last year. It was not known if Vajpayee would talk with Pakistan's leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
Participants in the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation summit also include leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
