TEHRAN, March 11: President Asif Ali Zardari called on Wednesday for a regional approach to deal with the menace of terrorism and militancy, while taking into account the interest, capacity and aspirations of sovereign states and their people.

Addressing the 10th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation, he said: “A regional approach has to take into account the interest, the capacity and aspirations of sovereign states and their people and has to build solid stakes in lasting peace.”

Mr Zardari said: “Terrorism knows neither faith nor frontiers. It breeds on injustice, deprivation and dispossession. Terrorism has roots across the region and its root causes have to be addressed.”

The president said the democratic government in Pakistan had made a promising beginning with Afghanistan and the two countries were making steady progress in building a relationship of deeper trust and understanding.

“We have revived the jirga process and set the directions of future cooperation.”

He said the ECO family bore a special responsibility towards Afghanistan, adding that Pakistan had been at the forefront of ECO’s efforts for the reconstruction of that country.

“Let us give these efforts a strong impetus,” Mr Zardari said and announced that Pakistan would shortly remit $1 million to the ECO fund for Afghanistan.

He said that with important strides being made across the world, the ECO had yet to realise its potential to the fullest measure. “We have to fashion ECO to the specifications of our region and the demands of our times,” he said.—APP
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