ISLAMABAD, 6 January 2004 — South Asian leaders went on retreat here yesterday to hold informal talks on the sidelines of a summit aimed at ridding the region of poverty, terrorism and trade barriers. The 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which opened on Sunday will finalize an “Islamabad Declaration” at its final session today.
The retreat provided an opportunity for the leaders to talk about issues not formally discussed during the summit.
State media said the retreat, held at Prime Minister House in the foothills overlooking Islamabad, lasted two hours.
A cultural program was also held during the retreat, followed by a lunch hosted by Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali.
The summit’s six-point agenda includes a historic treaty declaring South Asia a free trade zone in two years and an updated agreement on terrorism that includes measures to choke terrorist funding.
The leaders were to review the progress made by their organization since the last summit in Kathmandu in 2002, and also look at the grouping’s future direction, an official said. They could not meet last year because of India-Pakistan tensions.
At the inaugural session on Sunday the leaders inked a social charter on improving the living standards of the region’s 1.4 billion people. The charter deals with poverty alleviation, as well as health and education issues. It will ensure “tolerance, non-violence, pluralism and non-discrimination in respect of diversity within and among societies,” the document said.
