COLOMBO: The 15th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) — scheduled for Aug. 2 and 3 — will help to evolve an organization devoted to an immediate implementation of its decisions, according to Prasad Kariyawasam, SAARC spokesman.
He spoke to newsmen following the first round of talks of SAARC foreign secretaries held yesterday in Colombo.
“This is going to be a landmark summit that will pave the way for meaningful action for the good of the member countries,” Kariyawasam said.
He also stressed that the regional body will enter into a phase of action-oriented programs under the leadership of the group President Mahinda Rajapakse.
“Terrorism, food security and energy issues will top the agenda of the upcoming summit,” he stressed, adding that it would deliberate practical and meaningful ways to propel the vision of growth in the region through partnership.
The leaders had realized that SAARC had to evolve into a more people-centered organization and thus this year’s theme was a progression from last year’s theme of connectivity, he said.
The SAARC was established when its charter was formally adopted on Dec. 8, 1985 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan became the group’s eighth member in April 2007.
The official-level talks conclude today, and ministers will meet tomorrow to review the agenda for their leaders, officials said. The meeting comes in the wake of terrorist attacks in India last weekend that killed 49 people and injured more than 160. A shadowy group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
“Spiraling food and oil prices and ways to offset the burden imposed by these on our economies will also be discussed” at the two-day summit, an Indian Foreign Ministry official said.
Leaders are expected to set up the SAARC Development Fund and agree to extend mutual legal assistance and cooperation in combating terrorism, he said. “Poverty alleviation and development issues ... are also on the agenda,” he said.
The leaders of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan are expected to meet on the sidelines of the summit for their highest-level talks in 15 months and to see if they can hold together their embattled peace process.
Amid the growing tensions between the rivals, Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Sri Lanka this week. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also be meeting his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani at the summit.
