Saarc summit to focus on Safta, visa policy

ISLAMABAD: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit meeting agenda would particularly focus on the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (Safta) and softening of visa policy between the member countries would also be considered.

“A meeting of the programming committee of the Saarc is convened in New Delhi on March 29 to prepare agenda for the summit meeting,” an official told The News here Monday. “A Pakistani delegation led by Jalil Abbas Jilani, Director-General in the Foreign Office, would reach New Delhi on March 29,” he added.

The official said that Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, who would accompany President Gen Pervez Musharraf to Riyadh on March 27, would return on March 29 and would leave for New Delhi on March 31 along with Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan.

He said that arrangements have been finalised for the Saarc summit meeting in New Delhi from March 31 to April 4. According to the official, the foreign minister would lead the Pakistani delegation at the Saarc Council of Ministers Conference. He would hold meeting with Adviser to the Bangladesh President on Foreign Affairs Iftikhar Chaudhry. Kasuri would discuss the fourth round of composite dialogue with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.

“Kasuri will also hold meetings with the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan during his stay in New Delhi,” he added. The official said that the Saarc summit meeting would accord approval to the agenda prepared by the Council of Ministers and would issue the joint communiquÈ.

He said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would hold meetings with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and leaders of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan to discuss the ways and means to strengthen bilateral relations.

“During retreat, the leaders of the Saarc countries will hold informal meetings and will extend invitations to each other for visit to their respective countries.” The official said that India would make efforts to raise the non-implementation of the Safta at the Programming Committee and Council of Ministers meetings. He said that Afghanistan, which would attend the Saarc summit for the first time as a member of the association, would fully support the Indian stance on implementation of Safta.

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