ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: President General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday stressed the need for making the Saarc an effective forum.

He was talking to Saarc Secretary-General Nihal Rodrigo who called on him here on Tuesday.

The Saarc secretary-general discussed with the president the agenda of the executive conference of the Saarc to be held in the second week of January 2002 at Katmandu.

Mr Nihal told the president that the agenda of the conference was in final stages.

He said our endeavour was to include the issues of trade and economic cooperation between Saarc countries on the agenda besides poverty and terrorism.—APP