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| 20 July 2004 | Tuesday | 02 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Saarc FMs' council meets today
ISLAMABAD, July 19: The two-day meeting of the Saarc Standing Committee comprising South Asian foreign secretaries concluded on Monday on an upbeat note, paving the way for a positive outcome of the Council of Ministers meeting that begins here on Tuesday.
"We have made forward movement in reaching decisions and in our deliberations," announced the current chairman of the committee, foreign secretary Riaz Khokhar, later at a special briefing on Saarc.
"There is a new determination to implement decisions and acceptance of a new vigorous approach in transforming Saarc into a dynamic organization," declared Mr Khokhar. He observed that improvement in Indo-Pakistan relations had definitely contributed to this 'feel-good' factor.
When quizzed about his optimism despite the unresolved political disputes in the region, he said: "The atmosphere in South Asia is much better than a year ago and we certainly are moving from the stage of words to deeds."
He then added: "In case of India and Pakistan, a composite dialogue is underway and that itself has generated an improved atmosphere for Saarc and given confidence to other member states."
Responding to a question, he said delegates of other Saarc member states also shared his optimism. Referring to the wide-ranging agenda of the Standing Committee, he said: "Specifically, we discussed follow-up on SAFTA; strategies for poverty alleviation; stimulating co-operation in the field of energy; and enhanced efforts in the areas of investment; environment; standardisation; customs; transport and statistics."
Underlining the importance of co-operation in the energy sector, the foreign secretary said the Standing Committee had recommended to the Council of Ministers to authorize a meeting of Saarc Energy Ministers to consider the recommendations of the Saarc Working Group.
"The Committee noted the offer by Pakistan to host a Saarc Energy Ministers' Forum and a Saarc Energy Centre," he added. Answering a question, he said the ministers would meet and discuss the parameters of cooperation and assess the energy requirements of the member states. To a related question, he said there was no bar on bilateral cooperation in this sector.
Another recommendation made by the Committee was to convene at an early date a Ministerial Meeting on com-bating terrorism and trans-national crimes, including drug trafficking and human smuggling.
It also recommended inclusion of members of the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA) and GSS Category-I officials of the Saarc Secretariat, Mr Khokhar said.
"The Committee also approved a host of proposals on cooperation in the fields of higher education, health, media, town planning, and women's empowerment," he told journalists.
Mr Khokhar said there was also a preliminary discussion on establishing dialogue partnership with other regional bodies and states outside the region. The briefing was dominated by questions about peace and security and broadening the scope of the Saarc Charter to allow discussion on bilateral and political disputes.
The foreign secretary tried to sidestep such questions but when pressed further, he emphatically stated: "Saarc Charter specifically forbids any discussion on bilateral disputes."
While noting, "Saarc was a apolitical organisation", he told journalists that the Pakistani delegation had informally floated the idea that Saarc could emulate example of other regional organisations like the ASEAN Regional Forum where issues of peace and security can be taken up.
When quizzed on the idea, the foreign secretary clarified that it was merely a concept and not a specific proposal that was put on the table. "It just came up informally during the discussions and left on the table and that is where it is," he asserted.
His response to subsequent queries as to whether other Saarc member states were receptive to the idea indicated that there were no takers for the proposal. "They just heard us, there was no engagement," was the foreign secretary's short reply who hastened to add that it was not a new idea. Asked if the idea would be taken up at the Council of Ministers meeting, he said he could not anticipate that.
He said the Council of Ministers would take into consideration the report submitted by the Standing Committee and from there more ideas could be floated. The Committee did not discuss specifically the question of Saarc expansion or the proposal of a single currency, he said in response to a question.
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