DHAKA, Nov 27: Most of the declarations made by Saarc leaders during earlier summit meetings have not been implemented in the absence of effective mechanism as follow-up measures, Bangladesh's foreign minister M.Morshed Khan said
, adding that the seven-nation forum needs institutional reforms to ensure implementation of the decisions.
"The 13th summit would be a summit of working out ways for implementations of the Saarc decisions, instead of making mere declarations. It would really be a businesslike summit," Khan told a press conference at the foreign office here on Saturday. The next Saarc summit meeting is due to be held in Dhaka on January 9-11, 2005.
Referring to seven agreements and four action plans adopted over the last 20 years of Saarc, Khan said, no effective mechanism is there to follow-up and/or implement the decisions."
The foreign minister, however, ruled out the possibility of amendment to the Saarc charter for incorporation of a provision to deal with bilateral issues in the Saarc forum. "Bilateral negativism should not be allowed to impede the progress."
Referring to current peace talks between India and Pakistan, Khan said a wind of freedom is blowing across South Asia and every member state now feel it important to increase intra-region trade and economic cooperation to move Saarc forward.
On the much talked about South Asian economic union, the foreign minister said that it would take some time to materialise such a dream and that might be possible only after conclusion of the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA), beginning January 2005.
In this regard, he also said that issues such as Saarc currency and Saarc parliament would also come up for discussion at the upcoming Saarc summit, Morshed Khan said.
He also had focused on South Asian Development Fund, observer status of Saarc at the UN, observer status or dialogue partnership with States outside the region and other international organizations and financing Saarc projects.
Dwelling on South Asian Development Fund (SADF), foreign minister informed newsmen that $6 million is lying unutilized for lack of policy and mechanism of its utilization.
Regarding the Saarc poverty alleviation fund, he said, "India has made a commitment of $100 million for poverty alleviation projects in all Saarc countries except India. But member states want to have an inclusive fund with voluntary contribution from all according to capacity and with projects in all countries having the incidence of poverty."
