Cabinet meeting at Mt. Everest:Nepal

Nepal's top politicians strapped on oxygen tanks on Friday and held a cabinet meeting amid the frigid, thin air of Mount

Everest to highlight the danger global warming poses to glaciers ahead of next week's international climate change talks.

The government billed the event as the world's highest cabinet meeting, and getting the ministers to the mountain safely required extensive planning.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, his two deputy prime ministers and the 20 cabinet ministers were examined by doctors before boarding helicopters to Kalapathar, a flat area at an altitude of 17,192 feet (5,250 meters) next to Everest base camp, the jumping point for climbers seeking to scale the peak.

The Himalayan Rescue Association's Bikram Neupane said the politicians - bundled in thick jackets, windproof gear and woolen hats - all had adequate oxygen levels in their blood and they were in no immediate danger.

The cabinet met only briefly next to the mountain in an effort to prevent any of the ministers, unused to the heights of the Himalayas, from getting altitude sickness.

The ministers stayed overnight Thursday in the town of Lukla, about 9,180 feet (2,800 meters) high, to acclimatize to the higher elevation. They then traveled to Syangboche - 12,800 feet (3,900 meters) high - where they took the helicopter to the mountain.

They were expected to return to Syangboche later to hold a news conference.

The event came ahead of the international climate change conference next week in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was intended to draw attention to the effects of global warming on the region surrounding the world's highest peak.

Scientists say the Himalayan glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, creating lakes with walls that could burst and flood villages below. Melting ice and snow also make the routes for mountaineers less stable and more difficult to follow.

``The hills and mountains used to be covered with snow even during the summer. But now snow can be seen only on the higher peaks,'' said Ngyendon, 66, who like many in the region uses only one name.

Local residents welcomed their guests with cream-colored silk scarfs used for auspicious occasions.

``We are glad the government is taking initiatives before it is too late. Usually authorities tend to act only after accidents. We are now hopeful that something might be done,'' said Mingma, a 47-year-old inn keeper at Syangboche.

There are no climbers during the winter season and most climbing is done during the spring. Kalapathar is considered the best spot to view Everest.