Minnows left out

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (right) at the 14th SAARC summit in New Delhi

Global warming poses a real danger to the Maldives, idyllic islands in the Indian Ocean. A marginal rise in the sea waters, and the very existence of these islands comes under threat. However the concerns of Maldives on global warming are not on the minds of other leaders attending the 14th SAARC Summit in New Delhi.

On top of the SAARC agenda is terror – the primary concern of the three big players, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. That is enough reason for the minnows the Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal to feel marginalised and left out.

Though SAARC claims to promote regional cooperation, the summit agenda is sure to alienate Maldives, a country that is likely to bear the brunt of the changing weather pattern.

But concerns on global warming are not getting the attention that Maldives would want.

HOGGING THE SPACE: The ‘big three’ at SAARC represented by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri

Interestingly, while the Big Three talk of terror, there is no mention of how tiny Bhutan, too, has warded off the threat of terror from its land. Hardly has anybody acknowledged Bhutan's role in curbing the ULFA.

Even Nepal, which has conquered the problem of Maoist terror, finds little mention among the delegates. There is no recognition of how the political process has succeeded in Nepal.

With the concerns of Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal finding little mention, these smaller countries in the SAARC grouping could end up feeling like spectators at the Delhi summit, pushed to the lower end of the table.

Source: Time Now TV