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Foreign ministers from South Asia agreed Friday to create a regional free trade area, a deal that India said would help improve ties with bitter rival Pakistan.The deal augurs well for Saturday's visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to the Pakistani capital, which comes less than two years since the nuclear-armed rivals came perilously close to war.``It was in the informal consultations among the foreign ministers that an agreement was reached on SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area),'' Indian foreign secretary Shashank said.Ministers from seven South Asian nations also agreed on measures to combat terrorism and on a social charter meant to raise living standards in a region home to nearly a quarter of the world's people with average annual income of $450.``In the long term all this will contribute to achieving bilateral progress,'' Shashank, who only uses one name, told reporters.The meeting of foreign ministers from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) continues on Saturday to prepare for a three-day summit of heads of government beginning Sunday.As the meeting opened, India and Pakistan's foreign ministers greeted each other with a warm embrace.
Approximate Word count = 610
Approximate Pages = 2.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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