Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday met Nepal's King Gyanendra in Jakarta after nearly three months of bitterness in ties, and the monarch claimed New Delhi had promised to resume military assistance to his kingdom suspended after his Feb. 1 royal coup, Indo-Asian News Service reported.

Manmohan Singh had a 45-minute discussion with Gyanendra on the sidelines of the Asian-African Conference at Jakarta Convention Center. Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, who met the king Friday, was also present.

Rajiv Sikri, secretary (east) in the Indian external affairs ministry, confirmed the Manmohan-Gyanendra meeting but made no mention of New Delhi's reported assurance on arms supplies.

However, the king told New Delhi TV (NDTV) channel: "We have agreed on specific things... We have got assurances it (arms supplies) will continue."

Sikri, briefing the media on the meeting, quoted the king as having told Manmohan Singh that the political process in the kingdom would be restored "as early as possible".

The king gave the assurance after they "deliberated on the situation in Nepal and it was agreed that the political process should be restored without delay".

India and Nepal had fallen out after the royal takeover, with New Delhi taking umbrage at not being informed about the move.

Source: Xinhua