'Visit to infuse life in SAARC'

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, DEC. 12. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, today said his visit to New Delhi later this week was connected mainly with Sri Lanka's efforts to inject life back into the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

``The main objective of the visit is SAARC. Sri Lanka remains in the chair of SAARC and as long as we hold that position, we have a duty by all SAARC members to see that it goes forward,'' he said.

After the meeting of SAARC senior officials convened at the behest of Sri Lanka here last month, there had been some ``forward movement.'' A meeting of the Foreign Secretaries, who comprise the SAARC Standing Committee, would be a way out of the present stalemate, the Minister said.

None of the SAARC charter bodies, including the Standing Committee, has met, since the postponement of the Kathmandu summit in 1999, at India's behest. Mr. Kadirgamar is also expected to brief New Delhi on the latest developments in the Norwegian-backed peace process in Colombo.

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