DHAKA, 17 August 2005 — Bangladesh does not anticipate any threat during the 13th summit of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) scheduled for November in Dhaka, Foreign Minister Morshed Khan said yesterday.
“We’re not worried about reported Maoist threat. But we will not leave anything to chance,” he said. “We’ll ensure proper security for every head of state and government attending the summit.’
Talking to newsmen at his office, Khan ruled out any adverse impact on the SAARC summit in Dhaka of the assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Asked if the twice-deferred summit will be held on Nov. 12-13, he said, “I don’t see any reason why it should not.”
About China’s observer status in the South Asian grouping, he said a number of countries and organizations like China, Japan, European Union countries are in the queue, but the Katmandu summit held in 2002 decided that unless a criterion is set, none would be given such a status.
