SAARC leaders pledge to combat challenges of terrorism: Report
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, April 29, IRNA -- Heads of the eighth SAARC nations attending the association’s 16th Summit began Wednesday in Thimpu, capital of Bhutan, pledged to jointly combat the challenges of terrorism and climate change.
Leaders from the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, India Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka pitched for collective approach in dealing with the effects of climate change and terrorism.
Voicing concerns over the menace of terrorism, extremism and radicalism, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, abhorrence of extremism, radicalism and terrorism are part of the region's civilisational heritage.
Addressing the Summit, Singh said, regional cooperation should enable freer movement of people, goods, services and ideas and help the member states rediscover the shared heritage and build common future.
He said that an India Endowment for climate change was set up in South Asia.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said in his address to the gathering that terrorism has affected the region and impacted each one of the members.
Another speaker to the gathering was Afghan President Hamid Karzai who said in a hard-hitting speech that terrorism could not be eliminated until all SAARC members, without exception or reservation, commit not to allow their territories to be used directly or indirectly to shelter, arm or train terrorist groups.
In an unusual remarks, Maldivian President Mohammad Nasheed talked about the relations between India and Pakistan, saying he hoped that the meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two nations would lead to resolving their differences.
Kicking off the two-day SAARC Summit, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley said no cause could be enhanced or served through acts of terror and those responsible for such heinous crimes must know that they would be brought to justice.
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who handed over the SAARC chair to Bhutan at the summit, called for raising unified South Asian voice on climate change, saying the developed world who have historically contributed to the climate change must now bear the lion's share of burden to mitigate the phenomenon.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the plenary session of the 16th Saarc Summit urged the leaders of South Asia to turn the region into a peaceful and green area.
“Let us build a green and peaceful South Asia,” Hasina told the summit at the traditional parliament building at the heart of Thimphu, Bhutan.
She stressed setting up of a Himalayan council for assisting the countries in the region affected by climate change.
However, Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal hoped of outlining future "road map" for the cooperation between regional countries.
He termed SAARC as a regional integrity about greater connectivity and eventually increasing economy. According to M.K. Nepal, some of SAARC members were experiencing threat of climate change despite their least contribution to the phenomena.
He added that Nepal was willing to form an ally of mountainous country in the region and outside.
"We are trying to host a ministerial level meeting amid mountainous countries to come up with possible outcome for mitigation, adaptation and capacity building."
The leaders noted that the SAARC countries have finalized a Regional Convention on Environment and made a strong pitch for having a joint position for the bloc at the climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, in December.
Meanwhile, The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Development Fund, SDF, has been officially launched at Thimphu by Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley.
The SDF, with a paid-up capital of 300 million US dollars would provide financial assistance to projects on women empowerment, maternal and child health and teachers' training.
India has contributed 189 million dollars for the fund which would be used for social and some other sectors in the member-countries.
The permanent secretariat of the SDF would be based in Bhutanese capital Thimphu and serve as a regional funding mechanism.
All SAARC leaders hoped for effective utilization of the fund to benefit the people of the region and help alleviate poverty as well.
Later in the day, the summit leaders would sign an agreement on trade and services and a convention on environment protection at the concluding ceremony. They would also issue a joint declaration.
SAARC is an economic and political organization of eight countries in Southern Asia.
In terms of population, its sphere of influence is the largest of any regional organization: almost 1.5 billion people, the combined population of its member states.
It was established on December 8, 1985 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
In April 2007, at the Association's 14th summit, Afghanistan became its eighth member.
Iran was admitted as an observer in April 2007, at the Association’s 14 summit hosted in New Delhi.
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End News / IRNA / News Code 1085293
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