ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will carry with him specific proposals for revitalizing the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc) as he sets out on a tour of three member states on Sunday morning to discuss with his counterparts his vision for the regional body.

During his four-day tour as Saarc chairman, and his first as prime minister, Mr Aziz will visit Sri Lanka, Maldives and India.

The prime minister would underline the need for the Saarc states to move towards project cooperation, particularly in the areas of communications, infrastructure and transportation, sources said.

During his discussions with South Asian leaders, the prime minister will propose the setting up of Saarc forums on poverty alleviation and regional security, confidence building and dispute resolution, it is learnt. A proposal for the formation of an arbitration council to promote cross-border investment among member states is also on the cards. The prime minister will advocate the cause of building linkages between the central banks of the Saarc countries to promote coherent fiscal and monetary policies in the region. Avoidance of double taxation is also likely to figure in the discussions.

The sources said the prime minister would reiterate the need to establish a Saarc dialogue partnership forum, on the lines of the Asean Regional Forum, with interested countries such as China and the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Association of South-East Asian Nations and the European Union.

On his arrival in Colombo on Sunday, the prime minister will hold talks with Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. He will also call on his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapakse.

On Monday, the prime minister will head to Male, where he will hold talks with the Maldives President Abdul Gayoom.

Cooperation in tourism, education and other commercial sectors will also be discussed with the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The tour's last stop will be in India on Tuesday. All eyes are set on the prime minister's first meeting with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

The meeting acquires special significance in the wake of recent statements by the Indian leadership regarding Kashmir that appear to have sullied the positive milieu created by the ongoing Indo-Pakistan peace process.

This will be the first high-level political contact between Pakistan and India after President Musharraf's meeting with the Indian prime minister in New York on Sept 24 that ended on a positive note.

The Aziz-Singh meeting will take place ahead of the next round of Indo-Pakistan talks on confidence-building measures and foreign secretaries-level talks on Jammu and Kashmir and peace and security in December.

Officials told Dawn that the meeting would have "an open agenda", which would cover a range of bilateral issues from Kashmir to people-to-people contact, including economic cooperation.