COLOMBO, Aug 1 (UNB): South Asian leaders from eight SAARC countries sit for a summit meeting here Saturday to chart a roadmap to address the challenges of soaring food and fuel prices, trade imbalances, climate change and terrorism and improve the socio-economic condition of 1.5 billion people of the region.
Amidst extraordinary security measures, heads of state and government arrived in the Sri Lankan capital to attend the 15th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh caretaker government's Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Rhinley, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and host Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will join the two-day summit at Bandarnaike Memorial International Conference Hall.
The SAARC leaders will sign a SAARC Development Fund (SDF) charter with authorised capital of SDR one billion and launch the South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO), headquarters of which will be established in Dhaka.
The summit leaders will sign the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters to effectively deal with terrorists and criminals hiding in other SAARC countries.
At the inaugural session, the summit leaders will also focus on removal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to reduce trade imbalances in some member states and increase Intra-SAARC trade.
They will also instruct the SAARC Ministerial Council comprising the commerce ministers of the member nations to start negotiation on Trade in Services under the umbrella agreement of SAFTA.
The summit will emphasise making SAARC Food Bank operational expeditiously, increase food production and on collective efforts to produce alternative sources of energy, so vital for overall development in the region.
"The recent price-hike of food globally has reminded us of urgent need to address the situation comprehensively. The food crisis has affected the poorest segment of the society. Food security would constitute an important area of our collective endeavours," Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhruy told the news agency ahead of the summit.
He said SAARC Food Bank needs to be made operational immediately to give a human face to the organisation's work. "We need another Green Revolution based on technology and innovative techniques."
Apart from food, fuel and trade issues, critical issue of climate change, water resources, transport, social issues, terrorism, women empowerment and cooperation in science and technology will dominate the summit talks.
At the inaugural session Saturday, SAARC chairmanship will be handed over to Sri Lanka from India. Eight SAARC leaders will then make their country statements.
On the sidelines of the summit, the SAARC leaders have started holding bilateral meetings with each other discussing issues of concerns.
On the second day (Sunday), SAARC leaders will go for retreat when they will seize the opportunity to discuss more on burning issues that hit the region hard.
The 15th Summit will conclude through the issuance of the Colombo Declaration and Statement on Food Security.
Meanwhile, capital Colombo has been tastefully decorated with portraits of eight SAARC leaders and flags of the member states.
Thousands of army commandos and special police equipped with automatic weapons have been spread over the entire city. Sandbag bunkers have been set up in close proximity. General people's movement has been heavily restricted. Educational institutions were closed for three day from Friday.
All these security bulwarks are put in place in the wake of perceived threat from the LTTE guerrillas fighting for their homeland in northeastern Jaffna province. Although the LTTE has declared unilateral truce, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa does not want to take any risk and has taken all measures to hold the summit peacefully.
AP adds: Accusations that Pakistan helped a militant group bomb India's embassy in Afghanistan cast a cloud Friday over the South Asian summit.
Tensions are expected to be high amid mounting accusations that elements of Pakistan's intelligence service were aiding Islamic militants fighting in Afghanistan.
The New York Times reported Friday that US intelligence agencies intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officials and Islamic militants implicating the intelligence service in the July 7 attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul that killed at least 41 people.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi dismissed the accusation as "rubbish" and promised to cooperate with neighbouring countries to combat terror.
"We are suffering, and this region is suffering, from this menace of extremism and terrorism," he said.
Sri Lanka, host of the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, insisted the accusations against Pakistan would not affect the success of the gathering, which would include leaders from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
"This issue has not been raised," said Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona.
The region, which represents one-fifth of the world's population and many of its most impoverished people, has been plagued by terror attacks.
Pakistan is grappling with restive tribal regions along its border with Afghanistan, where fighting between insurgents and government troops intensified this week. The Afghan government is facing a resurgent Taliban and a spate of bombings has hit India in recent weeks.
Sri Lanka itself is embroiled in a civil war with Tamil Tiger separatists accused of scores of bombings and other attacks on civilians. The government has sent nearly 19,000 police and soldiers into the streets to prevent attacks during the summit, tightened Colombo's already strict web of checkpoints and sealed off several major roads.
Yet cooperation in combatting terrorism is expected to face roadblocks.
Afghan officials have repeatedly said Pakistan is not doing enough to crack down on militants and even accused the country's intelligence agency of supporting the insurgency. Pakistan denies the charge.
Recent exchanges of fire between the Indian and Pakistani armies across the ceasefire line in the disputed Kashmir region have dampened relations between the two rivals.
SAARC was set up in 1985 to promote economic cooperation, but progress in most areas has been slow - mainly because of the rivalry between India and Pakistan - and it has often been derided as little more than a talk shop.
