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SAARC countries ratify protocol on terrorism
by Ashok Dixit

     Dhaka/New Delhi: The South Asian nations on Friday endorsed the additional protocol on terrorism in their attempt to fight the scourge of terrorism that has hit the South Asian region for over the years. Foreign ministers of the seven-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) said the protocol was ratified with an aim that there was no space for terrorism. "Protocol (on terrorism) has been ratified by all member states and that's a very welcome development. Because as you know that additional protocol came post 9/11 and a number of specific measures were taken in line with the some of the resolutions which were adopted at the UN itself, UNSC. And it has elements like exchange of information; it has elements like the separation of financing for terrorist groups and activities, which is a very important dimension. There is also in the additional protocol there are other specific measures, which would enable the SAARC countries to work together on the legal side as well in order to deal with the terrorist acts," said Shyam Saran, Indian Foreign Secretary on the sidelines of the meeting. Saran said the additional protocol enables member countries to take preventive measures and suppress financing of terrorist activities that was adopted during the Islamabad summit last year.

     Earlier today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said before leaving for Dhaka that the Summit would provide an opportunity to focus regional attention on a number of important initiatives that were being pursued by SAARC. "We will be considering the various programmes and projects decided upon in the ministerial meetings in areas such as trade, environment, information, health and energy. There will be a special focus on collective approaches towards poverty alleviation and we hope to discuss in detail the SAARC Development Goals formulated for the region," Singh said. Another important initiative that would be taken up at the Summit will be ways and means of cooperating in the area of disaster preparedness and mitigation. In his statement before leaving the country, Dr Singh expressed hope that these initiatives would contribute significantly towards realising the enormous potential for economic, social and cultural cooperation among the member-states of SAARC. "While in Dhaka, I will take the opportunity of bilateral meetings with other SAARC leaders, besides interacting with our hosts. I look forward to having these discussions in a spirit of friendship, cooperation and good-neighbourliness," he said. South Asian nations had agreed on Thursday to set up a disaster management centre in India to help the region better handle calamities like tsunamis, earthquakes and floods that have ravaged it in the past year. The SAARC summit has been postponed twice this year -- first in January following the Indian Ocean tsunami, and again in February after India declined to attend, citing security fears in Dhaka. SAARC, a 20-year-old economic grouping, includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Meanwhile, Dhaka is all geared up to host the summit and has provided an unprecedented security to the delegates. Bangladesh, which has been hit by a wave of bombings by Islamist militants in recent months, has vowed "foolproof" security for the summit. Authorities have deployed over 30,000 police and soldiers to patrol streets and guard key buildings in Dhaka, including the SAARC summit venue and a five-star hotel where the south Asia leaders will stay.