15th SAARC Summit opens in Colombo

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-02 14:25:56

COLOMBO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) --

Heads of state or government of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations convened here Saturday morning in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, to kick off the 15th SAARC Summit.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in his inaugural address that SAARC was at a historical moment as the region share common heritage and face common challenge like food security and counter-terrorism.

He said the 15th SAARC Summit would be a people-centered conference with the focus on food security, combating terrorism and the establishment of a SAARC Food Bank, SAARC Development Fund and other issues for the region's prosperity.

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed said the SAARC "has crossed significant milestones" in forging closer cooperation among the South Asian nations, adding the 15th SAARC Summit should be a turning point in the bloc's endeavors for a more prosperous and peaceful South Asia.

Delivering his address at the inaugural ceremony Bhutanest Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley said the SAARC nations had made numerous commitments and created several worthy arrangements to provide enabling frameworks for cooperation in a wide range of areas.

"What we need now is to act," Thinley said, calling for bringing about visible and tangible benefits to the people in the region.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, Bangladeshi Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed, Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani attended the summit meeting.

The highlights of the 15th SAARC Summit, which will conclude on Sunday, will be the signing of four significant regional agreements including the proposed Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with the significant inclusion of a regional framework for cooperation in tackling terrorism, and the establishment of a SAARC Development Fund to provide financial assistance for economic, social and infrastructure development projects in the region.

SAARC comprises eight countries of South Asia, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with a population of about 1.5 billion.

Representatives from China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, the United States and Mauritius also participated in the summit as observers.

Editor: Gao

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