The 14th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) ended in New Delhi Wednesday with a joint
declaration.
In the eight-page declaration, most of it is devoted to the
development of the eight SAARC countries, namely Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri
Lanka.
With its main goal to serve the peoples of South Asia, the
gathered heads of state agreed to build a Partnership for
Prosperity, allowing them to strive towards shared economic
cooperation, regional prosperity and a fair distribution of
regional benefits and opportunities leading to a better life for
the people of South Asia.
The summit saw major agreements being finalized with decisions
to bolster the SAARC Development Fund, establish the South Asian
University with its headquarters in India, create a SAARC Food
Bank, and set up a SAARC Arbitration Council among the major
outcomes.
These proactive steps towards social and economic development
show the SAARC members' resolve to truly make the organization a
powerful instrument for regional interests.
In his closing speech at the 14th SAARC summit, Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh highlighted that SAARC's highest mandate
was to alleviate poverty, by making a difference in "the lives of
the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak."
"To win this war, we must work together. We must resolve our
differences, and we must enhance regional cooperation. We must also
win the war against all forms of extremism and intolerance in our
region," he stressed.
Addressing their desire to ease intra-regional free trade, the
SAARC summit saw pledge to rapidly create a roadmap for a South
Asian Customs Union and a South Asian Economic Union.
So far, all SAARC countries have ratified the South Asian Free
Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement. The summit documented the next step
with all members to ensure free market access by implementing trade
liberalization programs, so that the SAFTA may be implemented "in
letter and spirit".
The SAARC countries also confirmed they would implement a
multilateral trading system and called on the WTO to bring to the
Doha Round of talks to a successful close.?
Addressing the common fight against terrorism, the SAARC
countries underlined that they view it as a severe threat to peace
and security in the region. They pledged to stand firm against all
targeted killings of civilians and against all forms of terrorist
violence.
The SAARC countries further used the summit platform to ask for
an urgent conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism.
Global observers from China, Japan, the European Union, South
Korea, Iran, and the United States were also in attendance, with
the members stating they would benefit from these links to the
world and this would allow smoother global economic
integration.
It was also announced that the 15th SAARC summit would be held
in the Maldives although no date has yet been confirmed.
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2007)
