Pranab, Krishna to attend Koirala's funeral

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) A three-member high profile delegation of Finance  Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Minister S.M. Krishna and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will leave for Kathmandu Sunday to represent India at the funeral of former Nepali prime minister G.P. Koirala.

Koirala died Saturday at age 85 following a fortnight-long illness.

Mukherjee, an old Nepal hand, is known to enjoy close rapport with the top leadership of the Nepali Congress.

The external affairs ministry in a statement recalled "the immense contribution of Koirala to fostering and strengthening close and friendly relations between India and Nepal".

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have conveyed their condolences to his daughter Sujata Koirala, who is Nepal's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, the statement said.

Hailed as an architect of the peace negotiations that ended a decade-old Maoist insurgency in Nepal, the Indian leaders also recalled Koirala's contribution and tireless dedication to the cause of peace and democracy in Nepal.