Vajpayee wrote to his Pakistani counterpart, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, saying he would attend the summit of South Asian leaders which begins on January 4, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said, adding the letter was delivered last morning.

India and Pakistan have declared a cease-fire on the front lines in the disputed Kashmir region and launched a series of initiatives to improve contacts and ease tension after coming close to their fourth war last year.

The summit of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was originally planned for January this year, but was postponed after India declined to attend because of tension over Kashmir.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement it welcomed Vajpayee's confirmation of his participation at the summit.

But India has ruled out bilateral talks at the summit, saying Pakistan must first cut off support to separatist Muslim militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of Kashmir.

Pakistan, which denies direct involvement in the 14-year revolt in Indian Kashmir, has repeatedly called for resumption of talks to resolve the 56-year-old dispute over the Himalayan region.