COLOMBO: Leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) yesterday resolved to fight all forms of terrorism. They also approved the immediate establishment of a food bank to cope with regional shortages triggered by rising prices, as well as plans for improving energy security in the impoverished region, home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population.
At the end of a two-day summit, the leaders expressed deep concern over the serious threat posed by terrorism to peace, stability and security in the region. They also recognized the growing linkages between terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal trafficking of persons and firearms, and underscored the need to address the problem in a comprehensive manner.
The Colombo Declaration called for freezing funds that might be used for terrorist activities, regular meetings between security chiefs, the exchange of intelligence and training of personnel dealing with terrorism and drug offenses.
The agreement may not be easy to implement in view of accusations by India and Afghanistan that elements of Pakistan’s intelligence service helped a militant group bomb India’s Embassy in Afghanistan on July 7, killing 41 people.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani met over breakfast and exchanged views on the “common challenges facing the two countries in terms of dealing with terrorism and militancy.”
A joint statement after the talks said their foreign ministers would meet soon to craft a common strategy to deal with the problem. They will also collaborate with their coalition partners — NATO and International Security Assistance Force — to prepare that strategy.
The meeting took place in a “cordial atmosphere,” and “the two sides agreed to coordinate their efforts to stop cross-border terrorism,” the statement said.
In an interview with Sri Lanka’s Sunday Leader newspaper, Gilani said there was no evidence linking his country to attacks on India or Indian interests, adding such accusations had hurt the peace process.
“The Indian statement is not only surprising but also shocking,” Gilani told the newspaper.
“There were also bombing incidents in Pakistan subsequently, but we have not pointed fingers at anyone as we believe in carrying out investigations before laying responsibility.”
At the summit, SAARC leaders agreed to focus on developing hydropower and renewable energy programs involving solar equipment and wind turbines. Naresh Kumar, director-general of the New Delhi-based Research and Information System, said natural gas in Bangladesh and Pakistan, coal and petroleum products in India and hydropower in Nepal and Bhutan provided a basis for regional energy cooperation.
But the forum of eight nations made little progress on trade, the central theme of the group formed in 1985. The summit provided no concrete steps to invigorate the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement which came into effect two years ago but which has failed to take off.
Aimed at achieving zero tariffs on almost all products by 2012, SAFTA has witnessed squabbles over tariff concessions with Pakistan accusing India of violating the agreement with various non-tariff barriers. Intra-SAARC trade remains at just over five percent of South Asian nations’ total, compared to other regional forums such as ASEAN’s internal trade at 26 percent and the European Union’s 55 percent.
The summit agreed to make South Asia “once again a major granary of the world, through a series of specific regional collaborative projects.” “To ensure continued nutritional security, we have directed that the SAARC food bank which will store stocks for distribution in case of a particular scarcity within the South Asian region, should be immediately put into operation,” Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said at the conclusion of the summit. — With input from agencies
