SAARC Summit sees no deal on first day

The 18th SAARC summit has been adjourned till Thursday without any deals being signed, reports bdnews24.com.

There was a slot for singing agreements at 12.35pm, but the chair of the summit Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala adjourned the two-day meet until Thursday.

It became clear quite early that two of the three deals related to road, railway and energy cooperation would not be signed.

But there had been talks at the last moment to get at least the energy cooperation deal through, as it was essential for the electricity-starved region.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech also pitched for those agreements.

But it was known that Pakistan blocked them saying they were not ready "internally".

Leaders of the eight member states in their speeches have stressed SAARC's role for South Asia's development.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all to set aside differences and work for the progress of the region's people, nearly 40 per cent of them being poor.

Nepal is hosting the summit for the third time, and the first in more than 12 years amid strict security measures that include barring journalists from the summit venue.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has offered to host the next summit based on Islamabad's experience of holding the 4th and 12th summits.

He called upon the SAARC member states to fight to resolve common problems like poverty, rather than fighting against each other.

UNB adds: Narendra Modi in his speech said India would give business visas for three to five years for Saarc countries and called for making procedures simple and facilities better.

"India will now give business visas for 3-5 years for Saarc. Let's make it even easier for our businesses through a Saarc Business Traveller Card," he said.

He mentioned that India has a huge trade surplus with Saarc countries. "I believe that this neither right nor sustainable. We will address your concerns and give you a level-playing field in India."

He, however, said cynicism and skepticism were hampering the potentials of the Saarc. But he said a tide of cooperation was rising in the region.

India will provide immediate medical visa to the people from any Saarc country, going to India for medical treatment, he added.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her speech identified seven critical areas that require urgent attention of the Saarc member countries.

She urged all the Saarc leaders to lend their support to advance implementation of the agreed regional outcomes on connectivity, putting aside their differences as the association's achievements have been modest so far compared to expectations.