Officials begin to finalise SAARC summit agenda
Sunday, 25 April 2010
THIMPHU, April 24 (bdnews24.com): The 16th meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation officially started on Saturday when the senior officials of the member countries sat to finalise the agenda for the summit on April 28-29.
Government officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka held a programme committee meeting at the convention hall in Thimphu.
According to the officials, the programming committee are discussing two agreements on cooperation on environment, and the agreement on trade in services - both of which will be signed during the summit.
Owing to Pakistan's reservation, the SAARC summit will not approve the deal for rapid response on disaster management.
The programming committee meeting is also discussing poverty alleviation in the SAARC region, officials said.
The resolutions of the programming committee will be placed before the two-day meeting of the SAARC standing committee starting tomorrow comprising foreign secretaries of the member states.
The resolutions of the standing committee will then go to the April 27th meeting of the SAARC council of ministers for finalisation of the agenda for the two-day summit which starts on the following day.
Meanwhile, the host Bhutan government has tightened up security measures around the capital Thimphu. Police and security personnel have been deployed at all strategic corners of the hilly capital.
Journalists will not be allowed to enter the grand assembly hall, the summit venue, or the convention halls where other meetings will take place.
All journalists must stay at the small media centre far away from the conference venue.
Bhutanese government officials have been assigned to facilitate the movements of media personnel.
"Due to our constraints, we cannot allow journalists to go to the summit venue," director general of Bhutan's civil aviation authority Phala Dorji, who has been assigned to handle media, told reporters Saturday noon.
Another official facilitating media told the news agency that the journalists are not being given free access to venues for the sake of security of the top leaders of South Asia.
Government officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka held a programme committee meeting at the convention hall in Thimphu.
According to the officials, the programming committee are discussing two agreements on cooperation on environment, and the agreement on trade in services - both of which will be signed during the summit.
Owing to Pakistan's reservation, the SAARC summit will not approve the deal for rapid response on disaster management.
The programming committee meeting is also discussing poverty alleviation in the SAARC region, officials said.
The resolutions of the programming committee will be placed before the two-day meeting of the SAARC standing committee starting tomorrow comprising foreign secretaries of the member states.
The resolutions of the standing committee will then go to the April 27th meeting of the SAARC council of ministers for finalisation of the agenda for the two-day summit which starts on the following day.
Meanwhile, the host Bhutan government has tightened up security measures around the capital Thimphu. Police and security personnel have been deployed at all strategic corners of the hilly capital.
Journalists will not be allowed to enter the grand assembly hall, the summit venue, or the convention halls where other meetings will take place.
All journalists must stay at the small media centre far away from the conference venue.
Bhutanese government officials have been assigned to facilitate the movements of media personnel.
"Due to our constraints, we cannot allow journalists to go to the summit venue," director general of Bhutan's civil aviation authority Phala Dorji, who has been assigned to handle media, told reporters Saturday noon.
Another official facilitating media told the news agency that the journalists are not being given free access to venues for the sake of security of the top leaders of South Asia.