Stress on continued, collective action

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, NOV. 13. A meeting of senior officials of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) began today amid reiterations that the regional grouping, derailed by tensions between India and Pakistan, was alive and full of plans for the future.

The three-day `extra-ordinary' meeting, called on the initiative of Sri Lanka, is being described as an attempt to inject life into the grouping which has been in limbo since the meeting of SAARC foreign ministers at Nuwara Eliya last March.

The scheduled heads of state summit in Kathmandu last November was postponed indefinitely following India's refusal to engage with the Pakistani leader, General Pervez Musharraf.

The last high-level contact between the members was an informal meeting of the SAARC foreign ministers on the sidelines of the 1999 UN General Assembly session.

Inaugurating the meeting today, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, ruled out a summit in the foreseeable future but said he remained `optimistic' about the future of SAARC, describing the grouping as a `natural and inevitable' coming together of peoples joined by ancient links.

He said the meeting of the officials would ``impart momentum to areas of agreed cooperation which require some concerted action through an exchange of views involving all member states''.

The SAARC Secretary-General, Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, expressed confidence that ``whatever the vagaries of the political climate in South Asia, the highest level of commitment to regional co- operation and SAARC remains strong''.

``It is on this basic foundation that the meeting of senior officials must discuss and recommend a functional framework for continued, even accelerated activity to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to contribute to mutual trust and understanding, pending attainment of unanimity on the convening of the next summit in Kathmandu,'' he said in his introduction.

Mr Kadirgamar, the chairman of the SAARC council of ministers, said recommendations from this meeting would be invaluable to the facilitation of continued collective action.

Sri Lanka and the SAARC secretariat have proposed that this meeting recommend two conventions - on combating trafficking of women and children for prostitution and the promotion of child welfare - which were finalised at the 1998 Colombo Summit and ready to be signed at the jinxed Kathmandu summit, be adopted early next year.

Admitting that the economic integration of South Asia envisaged at the 1997 Male summit would need attention at least at the ministerial level, Mr Kadirgamar said this meeting could propose time-frames for meetings on the SAFTA and SAPTA.

The minister said for the text of the SAFTA treaty to be finalised by the 2001 deadline, a number of issues had been identified for more ``decisive work'', including those of the rules of origin, revenue compensation mechanisms and graduated time-frames for accession by individual members.

Mr. Rodrigo said thecould push activities that had been constrained or held back for ``want of closer encounters of a practical kind''.

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Section  : International
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