Nepali government's historical high-altitude cabinet meeting kicked off at the foothills of Mt. Everest (Mt. Qomolangma) Base Camp on Friday morning to draw the global community's attention toward climate change and its impact on melting Himalayas.

The meeting presided by Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal started at 9:00 AM local time (0315 GMT) at Kalapatthar, which is approximately 5,164 meters high, and was attended by altogether 24 ministers, Siddhartha Bajrachara, executive member of National Nature Conservation Trust told Xinhua.

According to state owned newspaper The Rising Nepal, more than 70 people including senior ministers, high ranking officials, national and international journalists, doctors and health workers attended the historic meeting.

It is said that the meeting will come up with some crucial decisions regarding climate change and the event will join the Summiteers' Summit to Save the Himalayas being held in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 11, on the occasion of International Mountain Day.

The meeting was held ahead of the 15th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this month.

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2009)