April 8, 2002	Monday	Muharram 24, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, April 7: President Gen Pervez Musharraf will inaugurate a third-tier meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on poverty reduction here on Monday.

The participants will discuss the one-point agenda and come up with the Islamabad Declaration at the conclusion of the two-day meeting.

Ministers for finance and planning from the all the member countries, except Sri Lanka, are participating in the conference.

The Sri Lankan minister is unable to attend the conference due to the annual budget session of his country. However, a delegation from Sri Lanka has come to attend the conference.

According to the schedule, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz will present the welcome speech to be followed by the speech of Saarc Secretary-General Q.A.M.A. Rahim.

President Musharraf will inaugurate the conference and address the participants.

After the inaugural session working sessions will begin to be opened by the secretary-general of Saarc.

The meeting will adopt the agenda and appoint a group for drafting the report.

The first session will consider the report of the first meeting of the reconstituted Independent Commission on Poverty Alleviation in South Asia (Kathmandu March 30-31, 2002).

It will also consider the report of the meeting of the group of secretaries concerned on poverty eradication and social development in Saarc countries held on April 6-7, 1997 at Islamabad.

The meeting will also consider the Consideration Report and recommendations of the meeting of finance and planning secretaries of Saarc countries held on April 8-9, 1997 at Islamabad.

At the second working session, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will present the economic reforms and poverty reduction strategies initiated by them.

On Tuesday, the participants will discuss Saarc plan of action on poverty alleviation in South Asia.

Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz will present concluding remarks and later brief the press about the conference.—APP