Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Monday expressed his government’s firm moral support for Nepal’s fight against the Maoist rebellion during a meeting with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Bangkok, the Royal Nepalese Embassy said.

The Thai Prime Minister invited Nepal to join the Asian Cooperation Dialogue promoted by him during the meeting. Deuba sought Thai support for Nepal’s effort to enter the regional grouping BIMSTEC, the Embassy said.

Responding to the request made to support Nepal’s accession to World Trade Organisation (WTO),

the Thai Prime Minister said that he would be more than happy to support Nepal in joining the World Trade Body.

Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand is taking over the position of the director general of WTO from September, 2002.

On the problems of huge deficit being faced by Nepal in bilateral trade and the citizenship question

of the people of Nepalese origin living in Thailand for a long time, the Thai Prime Minister said both

sides should sit together and sort out the problems in the best interest of both the countries.

The two Prime Ministers discussed bilateral, regional and international issues. Deuba invited his Thai counterpart to visit Nepal. Deuba returns home Tuesday after visits to Brussels and London.