Yunus urges S Asia to resolve conflicts to fight poverty

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COLOMBO, Aug 19 (UNB): Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus Saturday made a fervent call for the South Asian (SA) nations to get closer quickly by resolving conflicts to slash poverty to zero in the region through collective endeavors and thereby attain peace and dignity for their people.
"We spent more time for falling apart than coming closer. But we can come together because it is the question of our survival, our dignity," the professor made the remarks in his keynote speech at the sixth conference of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) at Hotel Cinnamon.
Yunus said, "Whatever conflicts are there among the SAARC nations -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or wherever --it should be resolved quickly…there is no alternative."
Saying that waiting costs heavily and conflict costs extremely, the Nobel Laureate said all human conflicts have solutions, but war cannot be a solution.
The pioneer in lending to the poor in a new-concept banking called for setting a date -- for example 2025 or 2030 -- to send poverty to museum from the SA society.