M A I N   N E W S

Region to benefit from SAARC summit: Bangladesh
Nadim Qadir

Dhaka, June 12
Bangladesh today said the announcement of new dates for the twice-postponed SAARC summit would infuse new impetus to the regional grouping’s slowed down process.

Pakistan Prime Minister and Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Shaukat Aziz had announced in Islamabad yesterday that the 13th summit will be held in Dhaka on November 12 and 13. He said all member states — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives— had agreed on the dates.

Bangla Foreign Minister Morshed Khan said the announcement of the summit “will add spirit and impetus to the SAARC process which was unfortunately postponed twice.”

“We hope some of the important agenda, including the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) that was slowed down due to the postponement, would be put on track at Dhaka Summit,” Khan told reporters here before departing for Doha to attend the ministerial meeting of the second South Summit.

He said Bangladesh was committed to push forward the regional cooperation to fulfill the aspiration of common people in the region.

The Dhaka summit is expected to review the security situation in the region, progress on SAFTA and the grouping’s initiative to alleviate poverty and improve facilities for education, health and environment among the member countries.

SAARC Standing Committee, comprising the Foreign Secretaries, will meet on November 10, while Council of Ministers representing the Foreign Ministers will meet on November 11, the private UNB news agency said.

The SAARC summit, which was first scheduled to be held in January in Dhaka, was postponed in the wake of tsunami disaster that struck India and Sri Lanka, besides some other countries.

It was again postponed in February in the wake of developments in Nepal, where King Gyanendra assumed absolute power after dismissing the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba and declared a state of emergency. The volatile political situation in Bangladesh was also cited as a cause. — PTI