12th SAARC Summit Concluding Day-Jan-6, 2004

SAARC summit ends with inking of SAFTA, terror protocol
 

South Asian leaders concluded a landmark summit recently, heralding a "watershed" for the region after breakthrough talks between rival nuclear giants India and Pakistan and a free trade pact.
 

"I believe the summit marks a key watershed in enhancing South Asian regional cooperation," Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia declared at the concluding session of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India's Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf used the summit's sidelines Monday to hold their first talks since their armies came close to a feared nuclear war in 2002.

Enmity between SAARC's biggest powers has hampered the region's development, and leaders were buoyed by the momentum for peace which the historic talks appeared to foster.

"I think there is a definite shift in the two countries' stand. Both are moving towards a peace process," Pakistani military analyst Talat Masood told AFP.

Declaring the summit closed in a formal ceremony at Islamabad's heavily-guarded Jinnah Convention Center, Pakistan's Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali hailed key agreements on counter-terrorism, poverty alleviation and creation of a free trade area from 2006.

"These are watershed developments which will go a long way in promoting fruitful economic cooperation," he said, praising the summit for "reinvigorating regional cooperation."

Heads of state and government plus foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka signed the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, a social charter, an anti-poverty plan, an updated counter-terrorism agreement and the "Islamabad Declaration."

The Islamabad Declaration "contains the roadmap for regional cooperation under SAARC," Jamali said.

"This is a future-oriented declaration of historic significance."

The social charter on raising living standards and human rights was "a collective resolution on the need for economic and social cohesion," Jamali said.

"It proclaims our commitment to collectively seek a better future for the peoples of our region."

The poverty alleviation plan "provides a complete micro framework for national and regional efforts to address all issues relating to poverty," the Pakistani premier said.

Adding a clause on sealing terrorist funding channels to a 1987 anti-terror agreement was "another landmark in eliminating the menace of terrorism from our region," Jamali said.

The last time Indian and Pakistani leaders talked was in July 2001, in a bilateral summit that broke down in the Indian city of Agra.

Details of Monday's talks were not revealed but Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said they included Kashmir, the disputed territory which has triggered two of their three wars and nearly sparked a fourth war in 2002.

Talks between Vajpayee and Musharraf capped a series of bilateral talks, which included meetings between Vajpayee and Jamali, their foreign ministers and foreign secretaries.

Apart from Zia and Jamali, Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley, India's Vajpayee, Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga gathered for the summit's closing. Maldives President Mamoun Abdul Gayoom had to leave early on Monday for engagements at home.

SAARC leaders welcomed the thaw between India and Pakistan in their opening addresses Sunday, blaming the tensions for hamstringing economic cooperation and development in one of the world's poorest and most populous regions.

South Asia's 1.4 billion people make up one-fifth of humanity and nearly half of the world's poor, earning an average 450 dollars annually.
--AFP


Bright end to SARC summit with Indo-Pak dialogue date fixed
 

Nuclear giants India and Pakistan capped the conclusion of a landmark summit Tuesday with the surprise announcement they will resume stalled dialogue next month, bolstering hopes for a resolution to one of the world's most dangerous disputes.

Defying expectations with a series of breakthroughs which included talks between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, their foreign ministers and foreign secretaries, the leaders issued a joint statement announcing a dialogue which would tackle their 56-year-dispute over Kashmir.

"The two leaders agreed to commence the process of composite dialogue in February 2004," India's Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha announced to reporters.

"The two leaders are confident that the resumption of the composite dialogue will lead to peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues including Jammu and Kashmir to the satisfaction of both sides."

Kashmir, a mountainous region straddling the neighbours' northern regions is claimed by both and divided between them.

The dispute has caused two of their three wars and brought them to the brink of a fourth war, which many feared would turn nuclear, in 2002.

Pakistan had long demanded a referendum among Kashmiris to choose rule by Pakistan or India, while India insists the region is an integral part of its territory and accuses Pakistan of fomenting a violent 14-year insurgency which has killed tens of thousands of people.

The historic joint statement was issued at the conclusion of a seven-nation summit that brought the historically hostile neighbours together for the first time in over two years.

India's demand for an end to "violence, hostility and terrorism" was included in the statement, and a reassurance from Musharraf that he would not allow terrorist activities on Pakistani soil.

They were referring to militants who have been waging a violent insurgency against Indian rule in its zone of Kashmir since 1989. New Delhi has traditionally accused Pakistan of funding, training and arming the rebels and letting them operate from its territory.

"Prime Minister Vajpayee said that in order to take forward and sustain the dialogue process, violence, hostility and terrorism must be prevented," Sinha said, reading from the statement.

"President Musharraf reassured Prime Minister Vajpayee that he will not permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism in any manner.

Musharraf "emphasised that a sustained and productive dialogue addressing all issues would lead to positive results," the statement said, according to Sinha.

"The two leaders agreed that constructive dialogue would promote progress towards the common objective of peace, security and economic development for our people and for future generations."

"We only expect total democracy."

As praise poured in from the West, Russia remained conspicuously silent on the poll.

Saakashvili, who speaks fluent French and English as well as Georgian, Russian and Ukrainian, studied at Columbia University law school in the United States and briefly served as a minister in Shevardnadze's government before quitting to form his own opposition party.
--AFP


SAARC states sign SAFTA, protocol on terrorism

 

The SAARC summit Tuesday approved a far reaching document committing member countries to a series of new steps to tackle terrorism and also an agreement providing for free trade. The historic documents representing major successes of the summit of seven SAARC countries were signed by Foreign Ministers in the presence of their heads of state and government, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The leaders also adopted the Islamabad Declaration for the SAARC summit.

The leaders also adopted a protocol on elimination of poverty and signed a social charter.

Thanking the Foreign Ministers and officials, Pakistan Prime Minister and SAARC Chairman Zafarullah Khan Jamali said SAFTA was a historic milestone towards greater economic co-operation among SAARC countries--India, Pakistan Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

He said it was a great accomplishment. "I wish to pay tribute to ministers and officials" for this.

On the Additional Protocol on terrorism, Jamali said it showed the determination of SAARC nations to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations from the region.

Pointing out that peace was a pre-requisite for socio-economic development of the region, Jamali said SAARC was committed to fostering good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation.

The Summit succeeded in reinvigorating regional cooperation as it made "good progress" towards South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) and signed the SAFTA.

"These are watershed developments and will go a long way in economic cooperation among the countries of the region," he said.

The Pakistan Prime Minister said the signing of additional protocol on terrorism was a landmark development towards elimination of the menace of terrorism from the region.

He said all SAARC countries were committed to "promotion of meaningful cooperation."

"We believe in close cooperation, coordination and consultation," Jamali said, adding, the member countries were committed to carry forward the SAARC process.

By signing the Social Charter, he said the SAARC countries have committed themselves to collective responsibility towards seeking better future for the region.

On behalf of the SAARC member states, Bangladesh Premier Begum Khaleda Zia said the summit has been a "key watershed" in enhancing cooperation among the nations of South Asia.

She said the conference helped in advancing towards the realisation of the SAFTA, added a new thrust to poverty reduction programmes and provided a roadmap for concrete action in this direction.

The Bangladesh Premier said signing of the Social Charter at the summit would go a long way in highlighting the social mandate and reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen and explore new avenues in regional cooperation.

Khaleda Zia lauded the "spirit of accommodation" shown by the heads of states and governments and all other participants during the three-day conference.

The Retreat provided an opportunity to exchange views in a relaxed atmosphere, she said.

Congratulating the Pakistan Government for successfully hosting the summit in a befitting manner, the Bangladesh Premier also thanked the member nations for selecting Dhaka as the venue for the 13th SAARC Summit in January next year.

Following her speech, Jamali, as the Chairman of the 12th Summit, declared the conference closed.
--AFP


India, Pakistan agree to resume composite dialogue in Feb

 

In a major breakthrough, India and Pakistan have agreed to begin "composite dialogue" for settling all bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, peacefully. The process would begin as early as February, a joint statement said Tuesday.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has also assured India that he would not permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism "in any manner", the statement said.

Ending more than two years of freeze in bilateral talks, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Musharraf, who met for an hour in Islamabad on Monday, decided on the composite dialogue. Its level and format will be worked out in coming days.

The dramatic announcement came in the six-para joint statement issued shortly before the end of Vajpayee's four-day visit to the Pakistani capital for the SAARC summit. India described the decision as a "win-win situation" for both sides and Pakistan echoed its sentiments.

Vajpayee had told the Pakistani President that violence, hostility and terrorism must be prevented in order to take forward and sustain the dialogue process, the joint statement said.

The statement was first released by External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha at a press conference. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra was also present on the occasion.

Welcoming the recent steps towards peace, both Vajpayee and Musharraf expressed the hope that the "positive trends" set by the recent confidence-building measures (CBMs) would be consolidated, the joint statement said.

"The two leaders are confident that the resumption of the composite dialogue will lead to peaceful settlement of bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides."

"The two leaders agreed that constructive dialogue would promote progress towards the common objective of peace, security and economic development for our peoples and for future generations," it said.

The last composite dialogue held by the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries was interrupted in 1997 although the two countries had identified eight subjects including Jammu and Kashmir and Confidence-Building Measures.

A subsequent effort at resolving disputes was made at the Agra summit in July, 2001 which ended in failure.
--PTI


SAARC summit ends with hope for Indo-Pak peace

South Asian leaders wrapped up their first summit in two years Tuesday, a gathering that saw the first talks between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since 2001 and raised hopes for greater regional cooperation.

The seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) agreed to launch a free-trade area from 2006, to draw up a social charter for its 1.4 billion people and to fight terrorism.

In a show of unity at the concluding session of the three-day summit, foreign ministers linked hands after signing the three documents while their leaders looked on and applauded.

But the success of moves toward SAARC's aim of greater integration hinges on peace between India and Pakistan, its biggest members.

Officials have declined to give details of Monday's ground-breaking talks between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, or to say whether they had made any progress toward resolving their decades-old dispute over Kashmir, the heart of their rivalry.

But diplomats said the Vajpayee-Musharraf meeting was in itself a step forward in the slow process of rebuilding relations.

Pakistan said "detailed discussions" with India had taken place in a good atmosphere and both sides said the leaders were keen to keep the momentum going to repair relations.

Two years ago, the neighbors, who have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, came to the brink of another war over Kashmir after an attack on the parliament in New Delhi that India blamed on Pakistan-backed militants.

Ties have gradually improved since April when the 79-year-old Vajpayee launched what he called a final bid for peace in his lifetime.

In November, Pakistan announced a cease-fire along the front line in Kashmir, but violence between security forces and Muslim rebels has continued on the Indian side, which India accuses Pakistan of fomenting.

Pakistan denies helping the rebels and accuses Indian security forces of widespread human rights abuses in Kashmir.

Past attempts to make peace have often failed under the weight of overblown expectations, or because they were sabotaged by hawks on both sides. It remains unclear whether the talks have taken the two sides any closer on the issue of Kashmir.

Diplomats say both Vajpayee and Musharraf appear keen to move forward, but it was not clear if they would find any middle ground.

Vajpayee called for continuous contacts between the neighbors, but cautioned that it would take a long time to resolve their disputes.

The framework agreement to reduce or eliminate tariffs is the most tangible development to come out of the summit, but it will depend on better India-Pakistan relations.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali acknowledged that in his closing address to the meeting

"We have succeeded in reintegrating regional cooperation. We have made good progress on South Asia preferential tariff arrangements and a South Asia free trade area. These are watershed developments," he said.

But he added: "Peace and stability are an essential prerequisite to address the multifarious challenges of socio-economic development."

Under the trade pact, SAARC's developing states -- Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka -- will cut tariffs to between zero and five percent within seven years of the start of the agreement.

Its least developed states -- Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives -- have 10 years to complete the process, though all members can maintain a list of sensitive products on which tariffs will not be reduced.

SAARC's population makes up about a fifth of humanity, but most of their trade is done outside the region.

Business leaders say Pakistan and India's $1.5 billion trade through unofficial channels and third countries could double with a trade deal and better relations.

But there are concerns about dismantling trade barriers that would allow cheap Indian goods to flood markets and analysts say it is far from clear that the pact can be implemented.

While a South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement has existed since December 1995, its usefulness has been limited, with regional trade averaging just about $3.0 billion, or less than five percent of SAARC members' global trade.
--Reuters


Bangladesh PM calls summit a watershed in S Asian cooperation

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Tuesday described as a watershed the South Asia summit which brought Indian and Pakistani leaders face to face for the first time since near war and created a free trade zone.

"I believe the summit marks a key watershed in enhancing South Asian regional cooperation," she said at the concluding session of the 12th summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka signed an agreement on a South Asia Free Trade Area and an additional protocol on suppression of terrorism.

Heads of state and government of the seven member countries stood and clapped to welcome the event.

Khaleda Zia speaking on behalf of SAARC delegates said the signing of a social charter by member states had added a "new thrust" to regional poverty reduction efforts.

"The signing of SAARC social charter is a historic event. It has provided a roadmap for concrete action in this vital area,' she said.

The summit was eclipsed by the landmark meeting between Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee here on Monday.

The rivalry between the two countries led to postponement of the summit scheduled in Islamabad last year and also hampered SAARC process to enhance regional cooperation.

The three-day summit chaired by Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali agreed that the next SAARC summit would be held in January 2005 in Dhaka.
--AFP


Terror cannot be justified on any ground: SAARC

In a significant resolution vindicating India's stand, SAARC Tuesday declared that terrorism could not be "justified on any ground" and committed the member countries to "fully implement" international conventions on elimination of the menace.

"We are convinced that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, is a challenge to all states and to all of humanity and cannot be justified on any ground, whatsoever," the Islamabad Declaration adopted by SAARC leaders under Chairmanship of Pakistan said.

Pointing out that people of South Asia continue to face a serious threat from terrorism which violates fundamental values of the UN and SAARC Charter, it said, "We reaffirm our commitment to SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism."

"We agree to fully implement the relevant international conventions to which we are parties," said the declaration signed by Heads of States and Governments of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives.

The signing of Additional Protocol to the SAARC Regional Convention on Combating Terrorism to deal "effectively with financing of terrorism is a further manifestation of our determination to eliminate all forms and manifestations of terrorism from South Asia," the declaration said.
--PTI


43-point SAARC Islamabad Declaration adopted

The 3-day landmark SAARC summit ended here Tuesday adopting a 43-point Islamabad Declaration with renewed pledge to intensify economic cooperation and eradicate poverty in South Asia by resolving any conflict and dispute through peaceful dialogue.

The declaration also emphasized on combating terrorism, ensuring peace, enhancing political cooperation and security of small states of the seven-nation forum comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The SAARC leaders stressed that conflicts, differences and disputes in the region be addressed through peaceful means and dialogue. They envisioned South Asia to be a peaceful and stable region where each Nation is at peace with itself and with its neighbours.

The seven-page Declaration also focused on science and technology, social, cultural and environment as well as on SAARC award, Information and Technology, SAARC integrated programme of Action, Sub-regional and inter-regional cooperation.

Amidst applause, the SAARC Foreign Ministers on the concluding day Today signed the crucial agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and Additional Protocol to the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga witnessed the signing ceremony.

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who left here Monday, was represented by his Foreign Minister Fathulla Jameel.

On behalf of the SAARC leaders, Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia gave vote of thanks at the concluding session.

Pakistan's Prime Minister and current SAARC chairperson Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali declared the summit at the Jinnah Convention Centre closed at about 11:10 am.

The Islamabad Declaration thanked the Bangladesh government for offering to hold the next SAARC Summit in Dhaka in January 2005.

As many as nine points of the Declaration were devoted to economic issues.

It said the SAARC leaders renewed their commitment to the objectives and principles of SAARC and pledged to reinvigorate cooperation to realize peace, amity and progress of all peoples of South Asia.

They reaffirmed their determination to create an inclusive, just and equitable partnership for peace, development and prosperity.

The Declaration took note of the satisfactory progress that has been made about South Asian Preferential Arrangement (SAPTA) and said the signing of the framework agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) is a major milestone.

The leaders reiterated their commitment made at the 11th SAARC summit for the creation of a South Asian Economic Union. A study on creating a South Asian Energy Cooperation, including the concept of an Energy Ring, should be undertaken by the Working Group on Energy, the Declaration said.

It designated the year 2005 as "South Asia Tourism Year" for development of tourism within south Asia which could bring economic, social and cultural dividends as well as to commemorate the 20th year of establishment of SAARC.

About combating terrorism, the declaration condemned terrorist violence in all its forms and manifestations and noted that people of South Asia continue to face a serious threat from terrorism. The SAARC leaders were convinced that terrorism is a challenge to all States and to all humanity and cannot be justified on any ground whatsoever.

"Terrorism violates the fundamental values of UN and SAARC charter and constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the declaration said, adding that the leaders agreed to fully implement the relevant international conventions to which they are parties.

In the declaration, the SAARC leaders reaffirmed their commitment to SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism, which among others, recognizes the seriousness of the problem of terrorism as it affects security, stability and development of the region.

The signing of the Additional Protocol to the SAARC Regional Convention on Combating Terrorism to deal effectively with financing of terrorism is a further manifestation of their determination to eliminate all forms and manifestations of terrorism.

On sub-regional cooperation, it encouraged the development of specific projects relevant to the individual needs of three or moremember states under the provisions of SAARC.

On Inter-regional cooperation the SAARC leaders expressed their determination to develop mutually beneficial links between SAARC and other regional and international organizations, bodies and with states outside the region, interested in SAARC activities.
 
The leaders reaffirmed their pledge to promote good neighborly relations on the basis of the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and national independence, non-use of force, non-intervention and non-interference and peaceful settlement of disputes and recognize the importance of informal political consultations in promoting mutual understanding and reinforcing confidence building process among member states.

On security of small states, the declaration said the SAARC leaders are mindful of the security concerns of small states that arise, interalia, from their particular vulnerabilities, which should be firmly addressed by scrupulous adherence to the UN charter, rules of international law and strict adherence to the universally accepted principles and norms related to sovereign rights and territorial integrity of all States.

This should be ensured by all, both severally and collectively through appropriate actions and endorse the recommendations made by the council of Ministers at its 23rd and 24th sessions.
--UNB

SAARC nations decide to institute award

The South Asian countries yesterday decided to institute a SAARC Award to honour and encourage outstanding individuals and organisations within the region in various spheres, including peace and poverty alleviation.

The 'Islamabad Declaration' adopted by the seven-member grouping said the award would be presented during summits in future.

The award will honour and encourage outstanding individuals and organisations within the region in fields of peace, development, poverty alleviation and in other areas of regional cooperation, it said.

The award will be instituted on the basis of a concept paper drawn up by the Nepal Government.
--PTI

Hardliners slams Pakistan for sidelining Kashmir

Hard-line Pakistani leaders and Kashmiri terrorists have hit out at the government in Islamabad for pushing the "core" issue of Kashmir to the "sidelines" and warned that prolonging the imbroglio could lead to another conflict between the two countries.

Though there was a broad welcome of the meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf, the hardliners underlined the need for inclusion of Kashmiris in the dialogue process.

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Sardar Qayyum said that sidelining Kashmir or making cultural agreements could not reduce tension between India and Pakistan and warned that if was not addressed and resolved quickly, the situation could result in an Indo-Pak war.

Qayyum also said that the Line of Control (LoC) could not be accepted as permanent border.

"Unnecessary hopes were being attached to the SAARC summit and one should not ignore ground realities," he said in an interview to Urdu daily Nawai Waqt.

Hizbul Mujahideen chief and chairman of the Muttahida Jehad Council Syed Salahuddin hit out at the SAARC forum, saying that it had been ignoring ground realities and making attempts to create "unrealistic conducive atmosphere through cosmetic measures."
--PTI

Vajpayee heads home after historic talks in Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee departed Islamabad for home Tuesday after breakthrough talks with Pakistani leaders resulted in pledges to resume stalled dialogue next month.

Vajpayee was seen off by Pakistan's Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali, state television reported.

Vajpayee held talks with Jamali and more importantly with President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's most powerful leader, on the sidelines of a seven-nation South Asia summit, the first between the rival nuclear powers since they came close to war in 2002.
--AFP

Text of joint India-Pakistan statement

Following is the text of a joint statement issued here Tuesday on bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

The first talks between the nuclear powered rivals since their near-war in 2002 produced an historic agreement to resume dialogue from February on issues including Kashmir, the cause of 56 years of tensions, two of their three wars, and the feared nuclear confrontation two years ago.

"The President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India met during the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit in Islamabad.

"The Indian Prime Minister while expressing satisfaction over the successful conclusion of the SAARC Summit appreciated the excellent arrangements made by the host country.

"Both leaders welcomed the recent steps towards normalization of relations between the two countries and expressed the hope that the positive trends set by the CBMs (confidence building measures) would be consolidated.

"Prime Minister Vajpayee said that in order to take forward and sustain the dialogue process, violence, hostility and terrorism must be prevented.

"President Musharraf reassured Prime Minister Vajpayee that he will not permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism in any manner.

"President Musharraf emphasized that a sustained and productive dialogue addressing all issues would lead to positive results.

"To carry the process of normalisation forward the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India agreed to commence the process of the composite dialogue in February 2004.

"The two leaders are confident that the resumption of the composite dialogue will lead to peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues, including Jammu Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides.

"The two leaders agreed that constructive dialogue would promote progress towards the common objective of peace, security and economic development for our peoples and for future generations."
--AFP

US happy with Indo-Pak thaw in ties

The United States will keep cheering on Pakistan and India from the sidelines as the two warily rebuild diplomatic relations, but New Delhi's opposition and unpromising historical precedent make it reluctant to play matchmaker.

Senior US officials, who have watched the South Asian powderkeg with alarm, were encouraged by a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf at a South Asian summit.

"We encourage direct dialogue as the best way for India and Pakistan to resolve any issues between them," said White House national security spokesman Sean McCormack.

But there is no appetite in an administration consumed by Iraq, Afghanistan and a global anti-terror campaign, to dive into what many see as an insoluble conflict.

Washington has confined itself to short but intense spurts as a diplomatic "fireman" when tensions flare in South Asia, using repeated telephone calls to New Delhi and Islamabad, and snap missions by top envoys like Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"You can't help two different sides to resolve a difference, if one of them doesn't want you in that particular role," said a State Department official, explaining US reluctance to serve as a mediator.

India has traditionally refused outside mediation in the dispute over Kashmir, the violence-wracked Muslim majority region that both sides claim in full, which has triggered two of their three wars.

"The Pakistanis would like to see a greater involvement but the Indians do not," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The Indians certainly don't mind having us there urging from the sidelines, they see that as a useful resource in working with the Pakistanis."

Calls for Washington to use its unique influence on its anti-terror ally Pakistan and increasingly close partner India to end the vicious cycle of crises in South Asia periodically emerge in the academic and think-tank communities.

What one Indian newspaper columnist recently complained was a US "short attention span" in South Asia has done little to march the bitter rivals to permanent peace.

A report issued late last year by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society, urged US officials to take a more overt role.

The Bush administration should start by brokering a comprehensive ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, the report said.

Without a concerted international effort, the current thaw in India-Pakistan relations will be as short-lived as in the past, some observers fear.

"By the time they come to the crux of the matter which is Kashmir ... it is really going to come to a standstill again," said Huma Malik, a conflict resolution specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

"When they do come to that point, that is when the international community will have to have a plan that they can push towards."

But the State Department official said a US mediation bid would probably not work.

"In terms of us getting into a a specific mediating role we don't see that for ourselves as it would be probably counter productive," the official said.

According to Malik, that position is a "cop out."

"It's a cop out, because at the end of the day, if things get out of hand, it is the international community that is going to have to come right back in."

Advocates of a wider US role call on the Bush administration to impose new pressure on Musharraf to curtail the movement of Islamic militants across the LoC.

They say India should be urged to ease military pressure on Kashmiris in its sector of the region and to improve economic life there.

Some analysts even call on the United States to bring the issue to the United Nations Security Council to ensure a global dimension for peace moves.

But sceptics say history's lessons bode ill for a wider US role in South Asia.

Previous US initiatives on Kashmir have failed. Mediation in 1963 under president John F. Kennedy degenerated into mutual sniping then war in 1965.

They are also wary of investing US power in a conflict which some observers fear neither side sincerely wants to end, so vital is Kashmir to India's identity as a multi-faith democracy and Pakistan's as an Islamic republic.
--AFP

Annan welcomes meeting of Indian, Pakistani leaders

 

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday hailed the meeting between the leaders of nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan for the first time since they edged toward the brink of war in 2002. "He considers that these meetings represent another important step forward in the continuing bilateral efforts to improve relations and resolve outstanding issues between the two countries," his spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee met on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Islamabad.

"The secretary general urges both sides to continue with these efforts and hopes the summit meetings will give a new impetus to serious and sustained dialogue," Eckhard said.

The meeting, at a summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), raised hopes for an end to 56 years of acrimonious relations between the neighbours.

Officials said Vajpayee and Musharraf tried to find common ground to start a dialogue on disputed Kashmir, which has caused two of their three wars and nearly triggered a confrontation between the two in 2002.
--AFP

First Part

Thaw in ties as Vajpayee, Musharraf talk steps for normalising ties

Indian and Pakistani leaders meet for first time since 2001
Islamists rage at 'sidelining' of Kashmir in India-Pakistan breakthrough
India pronounces progress in ties with Pakistan
S Asian leaders on retreat to hold informal discussion

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf yesterday welcomed the steps taken by India and Pakistan towards normalisation of relations and expressed hope that the process will continue.

"Both leaders have welcomed the recent steps of normalisation of relations between the two countries and expressed hope that the process will continue", External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters after an hour-long meeting between the two leaders.

In an apparent reference to the statement by Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed that a joint declaration was likely to be issued after the crucial meeting, Sinha said, "at this stage, if anyone is saying anything more than what I have said, he or she is not doing justice to (the) cause".

Asked to explain the "cause", Sinha said "the cause is furtherance of the process that was started on April 18 by the Indian Prime Minister," a reference to Vajpayee's speech in Srinagar when he extended the hand of friendship to Pakistan.

To a question whether terrorism was discussed by the two leaders, Sinha said he was not in a position to go beyond what he had already stated.

"I don't think that is necessary" (to answer), he said when asked about a reported meeting between National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra and the ISI Chief.

Sinha refused to elaborate on the continuing discussions between Indian and Pakistani side, saying, "we are dealing with very sensitive issues... at this point, anyone saying anything is mere speculation. I won't like to speak".

"We are interested in the success of a certain process. If you are interested in the success of this process, then you have to act with certain degree of responsibility", he said.

When asked whether the Prime Minister's meeting with Musharraf was a "step forward", Sinha said the fact that Vajpayee came to Islamabad to attend the SAARC Summit, his meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Musharraf, the meetings between the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries "was itself a proof.... Please look at it that way as there is no other way I can think of".
--PTI

Indian and Pakistani leaders meet for first time since 2001

The leaders of nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan met Monday for the first time since coming to the brink of war in 2002, cementing a new initiative to bring peace to South Asia.
 
The breakthrough meeting between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf came on the sidelines of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), raising hopes for an end to 56 years of acrimonious relations between the neighbours.

"The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest with a special focus on bilateral and regional matters," a senior Pakistan foreign ministry official said, adding that the meeting lasted just over an hour.

The deeply contentious issue of Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan territory responsible for two of the three wars between the countries, was discussed, according to Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid.

"They discussed Kashmir, resumption of bilateral dialogue, terrorism, all issues were discussed," Rashid told AFP.

A senior Pakistani official, asking to remain anonymous, said the two men tried to establish common ground to start a dialogue on Kashmir, which is claimed in full by both countries and nearly triggered a nuclear confrontation in 2002.

State television showed Vajpayee and General Musharraf, who was wearing a civilian suit, shaking hands before sitting together and talking animatedly.

The two men have not met formally since the collapse of talks in July 2001 in the Indian city of Agra, although they shook hands at the last SAARC summit in January 2002 in Kathmandu, when their armies were lined up against each other.
As he headed to the meeting Vajapayee told reporters it was a "courtesy call."

The ground-breaking meeting between South Asia's two most powerful leaders has generated a wave of optimism, with officials heralding "winds of change" in the region.

"The meeting between Vajpayee and Musharraf should be considered a success even if the two leaders agree on the basis for negotiation," analyst Khalid Mahmood from the Institute of Regional Studies told AFP.

Pakistani officials hope the talks will kickstart long-stalled dialogue.

Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali broke the ice on Sunday with one-on-one talks immediately after the summit's opening.

Monday's talks were the culmination of peace overtures by both leaders, starting with Vajpayee's "hand of friendship" offer last April, when the 79-year-old premier pronounced his final bid for peace with Pakistan.

Musharraf, 60, in recent weeks took the dramatic step of offering to drop Pakistan's decades-old demand for a referendum in Kashmir.

His government also initiated an unprecedented ceasefire along more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of boundaries in Kashmir, which has held since November 26.

The detente between the region's superpowers, who were on the brink of their fourth war at the January 2002 SAARC summit, won praise at Sunday's summit opening from other SAARC nations, who blamed the tensions for hampering economic progress in South Asia.

The region's 1.4 billion people make up a fifth of the world's population and almost half its poor, earning an average 450 dollars per head annually.

Vajpayee later joined other SAARC leaders for a retreat scheduled at Prime Minister House in the foothills overlooking Islamabad, officials said.

Top of the agenda is a framework treaty for transforming South Asia into a free trade zone from 2006, a poverty fighting plan and an updated counter-terrorism agreement.
--AFP

India pronounces progress in ties with Pakistan

India's Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha on Monday declared progress was made in peace moves with rival nuclear power Pakistan, after the leaders held their first talks since near war in 2002.

"The fact that the prime minister of India came to Islamabad for the SAARC summit, the fact that the prime minister of India has met the prime minister of Pakistan and the president of Pakistan, that I have met my counterpart and the foreign secretaries have met, is progress," Sinha told reporters.

"Please look at it like that, there is no other way."

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who last met formally in July 2001 at a failed bilateral summit, hoped peace moves would advance further.

"Both leaders welcomed recent steps towards the normalisation of relations and express the hope that the process will continue," Sinha told a briefing.

"I don't think that the possibility of more confidence building measures is exhausted."

India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads since 1948 over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim.

It is divided between them and triggered two of their three wars, and nearly sparked a feared nuclear confrontation two years ago.
--AFP

S Asian leaders on retreat to hold informal discussion

South Asian leaders went on retreat here yesterday to hold informal talks amid a summit aimed at ridding the region of poverty, terrorism and trade barriers.

The 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional cooperation (SAARC) which opened on Sunday will finalise an "Islamabad declaration" at its final session today.

"It is a sort of excursion trip," a foreign ministry official said, asking not to be named.

"They will speak frankly on the agenda in a very informal way, without the pressure that the formal meetings usually carry."

The summit's six-point agenda includes a historic treaty declaring South Asia a free trade zone in two years and an updated agreement on terrorism that includes measures to choke terrorist funding.

The leaders will review the progress made by their organisation since the last summit in Kathmandu in 2002, and also look at the grouping's future direction, an official said. They could not meet last year because of India-Pakistan tensions.

At the inaugural session on Sunday the leaders inked a social charter on improving the living standards of the region's 1.4 billion people.

The charter deals with poverty alleviation, as well as health and education issues.

It will ensure "tolerance, non-violence, pluralism and non-discrimination in respect of diversity within and among societies," the document said.

The social charter will promote the "equitable distribution of income and greater access to resources through equity and equality of opportunity for all."

Participating in the retreat are Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Yaeser Thinley, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Maldives President Mamoun Abdul Gayoom, Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The retreat will be held at Jamali's official residence.
--AFP

Islamists rage at 'sidelining' of Kashmir in India-Pakistan breakthrough

Islamist politicians in Pakistan on Monday rejected breakthrough talks between their government and nuclear rival India, accusing both of sidelining the central 56-year-old dispute over Kashmir.

"Both Indian and Pakistani leaders have tried to sideline the main issue of Kashmir, but the people of Pakistan will not allow this," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who heads Pakistan's largest Islamic party Jamaat-i-Islami, told AFP in Karachi.

"We are not against dialogue with India, but if they called Kashmir an integral part of India, there is no room left for talks.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf held a groundbreaking meeting Monday on the sidelines of a seven-nation South Asia summit, forging an historic peace bid.

They touched on Kashmir, according to Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid, but no details were revealed.

Musharraf made key concessions on Kashmir in the lead-up to the summit, offering to back down on Pakistan's decades-old demand for a referendum to allow Kashmiris to choose rule by Pakistan or India.

His offer infuriated Islamists, who believe Kashmir should be ruled by Pakistan because of its Muslim majority.

Ahmed, who also heads the powerful six-party Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), demanded the parliament be consulted on the latest moves to resume dialogue with India, stalled since July 2001.

"We will raise this issue in the parliament and it is the responsibility of the prime minister to take the nation into confidence," he said.

"They are talking about trade, sports, people to people contacts, but not on the core dispute. This is nothing but a move to ignore or sideline the main dispute."

The pro-Taliban party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam dismissed the historic Musharraf-Vajpayee talks as little more than a handshake and photo opportunity.

"They have only tried to play with the media. We are for the talks, but with an open mind and on disputes," spokesman Mufti Mohammad Jameel said.
--AFP


India, Pakistan foreign secretaries meet

Foreign Secretary Shashank yesterday met his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Khokhar as a follow-up to the meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani Premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

It was a "courtesy call" lasting about half-an-hour, External Affairs Ministry spokesman told reporters in Islamabad.

Following the meeting of the two Prime Ministers, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha met his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Sunday.

The two sides have underscored the need to consider ways to maintain the present momentum to improve bilateral ties.
--PTI

Pak opposition leaders meet Vajpayee

Leaders of Pakistan's opposition parties and main Islamist alliance met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Islambad and praised his peace initiatives to normalise relations between India and Pakistan.

A delegation of Pakistan Peoples Party leaders led by Vice Chairman Makhdoom Fahim met Vajpayee at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner for the Prime Minister on Sunday night.

Handing over flowers sent by party leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to Vajpayee, Fahim said the PPP appreciated the Indian leader for his initiative to bring peace to the region.

The initiative and political standing of Vajpayee offered a hope for peace in the region, he said.

At the reception, member of the National Assembly Ramesh Lal presented a memorandum to Vajpayee asking him to offer more visa facilities for Pakistani Hindus to visit India.

A Muttahida Majlis Amal delegation led by Jamat Ulema Islami-F (JUIF)) leader Fazlur Rehman held a 10-minute long meeting with Vajpayee and felicitated him for his peace initiative to reduce tension between the two countries.

During the meeting, Rehman "praised the confidence-building measures announced by India and Pakistan to normalise the situation between the two countries," JUI-F sources said.

The JUI(F) leader welcomed Vajpayee's participation in the summit and urged for talks to resolve contentious issues, including Kashmir.

Vajpayee briefed the delegation about the ongoing initiative between both the countries to normalise ties, MMA leader Khurshid Ahmad told reporters after the meeting.

Significantly, the delegation included senior leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which held a demonstration in Lahore during Vajpayee's visit to Lahore in 1998.

JI has close ideological and organisational links with terrorist groups like Hizbul Mujahideen.

The MMA delegation, which called on Vajpayee, included senior Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmad and Prof Ghafoor Ahmad.
--PTI

Pakistan proposes hot air balloon flight for Indo-Pak peace

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf should take a hot balloon flight together for promoting peace between the two countries.

According to an Indian Balloonist Club press release, the proposal came from Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, who said that Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, an Indian balloonist, should invite the two leaders for a flight on a "Peace Balloon" symbolising Indo-Pak friendship and peace.

It may be recalled that during the Indian MPs delegation's visit to Pakistan, Musharraf had agreed to the idea of a flight from Lahore to Amritsar with Gupta.

The idea of the balloon flight gained momentum recently when Vajpayee endorsed the idea of a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) balloon of Indo-Pak friendship at Islamabad.

However, logistics and permission could not be obtained to make the flight possible, the Daily Times reported on Monday.
--ANI

Vajpayee prioritises building ties with Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said improving relations with Pakistan was a "big responsibility" as he laid a foundation stone at India's mission in Islamabad Monday, ahead of an all-important meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.

"I am confident that the building whose foundation stone I am laying today will stand on a solid foundation and will bear all kinds of weather, storm and rain, and that those sitting here will fulfil the responsibilities of which improving relations with Pakistan would be a big responsibility," Vajpayee said in the brief ceremony.

"It is important that there is adequate representation of both countries on either side, dialogue goes on continuously and together we work towards a way keeping in mind the difficulties of each other."

Vajpayee was laying the foundation stone in the extension of the Indian high comission (embassy) compound.

He went straight from the ceremony to meet President Pervez Musharraf at the nearby Aiwan-e-Sadr presidential house.

Vajapayee described the meeting as "a courtesy call."
--AFP

Musharraf urges end to mistrust ahead of Vajpayee meeting

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Sunday called for an end to mistrust within South Asia on the eve of his first meeting with Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee since the nuclear powers faced war in 2002.

"South Asia must realise its destiny by confronting its problems, not shying away from them and refusing to acknowledge their existence," Musharraf said in an address to a banquet he hosted for the region's leaders.

"We must put behind us the tarnished legacy of mistrust, bitterness and tension."

The leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka earlier opened the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Indian and Pakistani leaders have lived up to hopes that the summit would be seized as a chance to propel peace moves, with Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali holding one-on-one talks on the summit's sidelines Sunday.

The 56-year-old dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has hampered economic progress within SAARC, which was formed in 1985 with the goal of forging regional commercial cooperation and improving the lives of its 1.4 billion largely poor people. "The bitter truth is that SAARC will never achieve its full potential unless the disputes and tensions that draw us apart are resolved peacefully with justice and with equity," Musharraf said.

"Elimination of the root causes of tension and peaceful resolution of our disputes and differences are essential steps towards embracing division of a cohesive and integrated South Asia to which we all subscribe and we all yearn for."

"We owe this to our people. Let us make a solemn pledge not to disappoint them."

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir and were close to a third for most of 2002.

Pakistan has made key concessions on Kashmir ahead of the SAARC summit, offering to drop its decades-old demand for a referendum and initiating a ceasefire along the region's disputed and undisputed boundaries.
--AFP


Kashmiri rebel chief says SAARC summit out of touch with reality

A top Kashmiri guerrilla leader on Monday accused the South Asian nations summit of ignoring realities on the ground in Kashmir, the divided region at the center of 56 years of acrimony between India and Pakistan.

"The South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) (summit) is trying to create a pseudo amiable atmosphere by overlooking the historical facts and ground realities," said Syed Salahuddin, chief of an alliance of nearly a dozen fighter groups battling Indian rule in Muslim-majority Kashmir.

Resolving Kashmir's sovereignty in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiris was the only path to peace, the guerrilla chief said in Muzaffarabad.

"Ironically those delivering the sermons of peace are not respecting the wishes of the Kashmiris. Instead they are using every tactic to suppress the will of the Kashmiris," he said.

"Kashmiris will not accept any solution or formula which ignores those people of Jammu region who have offered sacrifices more than that of valley people."

The seven-nation SAARC summit, which opened in Islamabad on Sunday and runs until Tuesday, has fuelled hopes for peace between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan. Their leaders, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, held talks on Monday for the first time since coming to the brink of war in 2002.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Musharraf made the dramatic step of offering to drop Islamabad's decades-old demand for a referendum in Kashmir, as called for by United Nations Security Council resolutions since 1948.

Vajpayee and Musharraf touched on Kashmir in their talks, according to Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid.

Both sides have been noticeably restrained on Kashmir during the summit and the lead-up to it, with neither referring to it publicly, unlike at previous summits and other international gatherings.

Islamabad typically accuses India of gross human rights abuses and brutal suppression of separatists in Kashmir, while New Delhi accuses Pakistan of fomenting a bloody insurgency since 1989.

Salahuddin, who also heads the dominant guerrilla group Hizbul Mujahedin, accused India of killing more than 100,000 people, maiming thousands others and destroying properties worth billions in Kashmir through state terrorism.

He lambasted SAARC officials for failing to differentiate between freedom struggles and terrorism in an updated counter-terrorism agreement, which is to be signed by the seven heads of state and government.
--AFP

Russia welcomes India-Pakistan meeting, hopes for further talks

Russia Monday welcomed a historic meeting between the leaders of India and Pakistan, their first since near war in 2002, saying it hoped the encounter would lead to further talks between the nuclear foes.

"We express hope that the meeting of the leaders of the two countries will become a launching point toward resuming a full-fledged dialogue between India and Pakistan," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Indian and Pakistani leaders met Monday, a day after the opening of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit that many hope will jump start long-stalled talks between the nuclear rivals.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee met Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for just over an hour Monday for landmark talks that followed Sunday's meeting of Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali.

India's Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said that progress was made as a result of the meeting.

"The fact that the prime minister of India came to Islamabad for the SAARC summit, the fact that the prime minister of India has met the prime minister of Pakistan and the president of Pakistan, that I have met my counterpart and the foreign secretaries have met, is progress," Sinha told reporters.

"Please look at it like that, there is no other way."

India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads since 1948 over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim.

It is divided between them and triggered two of their three wars, and nearly sparked a feared nuclear confrontation two years ago.
--AFP

12th SAARC Summit Second Day -Jan-5, 2004

SAARC member states adopt social charter

SAARC member countries on Sunday signed a landmark agreement on social charter in a bid to improve the socio-economic condition of the region's populace.

The charter, signed at the end of the opening session of the 12th SAARC summit here, "reflects the commitment of states to pool efforts at national and regional levels to improve the social and economic conditions of the people", the new SAARC Chairman and Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali said.

He said inking of the charter by the seven member states was a concrete step towards assuring the people a life of dignity, security and self-esteem.

"Our endeavour should be that each person is able to fully realise his or her potential", Jamali said, adding the Charter aims at protecting human rights, gender equality, women empowerment and social security.

Following signing of the agreement on the Charter, Jamali adjourned the inaugural meeting of the SAARC summit.
--PTI

South Asia starts historic summit amid "winds of change"

A landmark South Asian summit opened in Islamabad Sunday amid hopes it will pave the way for a free trade zone and propel peace moves between bitter nuclear rivals India and Pakistan.

The 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was declared open by outgoing chairman, Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, in a tightly-guarded ceremony at the city's Convention Center.

The summit, the 18-year forum's first since January 2002 when India and Pakistan were on the brink of their fourth war, comes on the heels of two near-miss assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf last month.

After Pakistan's national anthem was played and a scripture from the Koran recited, Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali was elected chairman and a six-point agenda was adopted without objection.

"I am confident that our deliberations will be productive and provide a fresh impetus to invigorating SAARC," Jamali said in his inaugural speech.

"The region's cooperation is a function of growing interdependence in a fast globalising world."

Last year's summit was cancelled when Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee refused to travel to Pakistan because of ongoing tensions.

This year he has made an historic journey to Islamabad to take part in the summit, eight months after kick-starting fresh peace moves with a "hand of friendship" offer to Pakistan.

The trip, his first since 1999, marks the first visit by an Indian leader to Pakistan since their near-war confrontation less than two years ago.

All eyes are on whether Vajpayee will extend his pronounced "final" bid for peace as far as a bilateral meeting with President Pervez Musharraf or Jamali on the three-day summit's sidelines.

Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday hailed peace overtures between India and Pakistan as boosting chances of saving South Asia from global marginalisation.

"Recent developments in our region have given us great cause for hope for the future of SAARC. The reduction of tensions between the two largest member states of our association gives rise to much confidence," the Sri Lankan leader said.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Yaeser Thinley, India's Vajpayee, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and Nepal's Thapa, will also deliver addresses.

On Monday they will retire to a private "retreat" at the Pakistani premier's official residence to discuss and ratify agreements.

Topping the agenda is an historic treaty on turning South Asia into a free trade zone, an expanded anti-terrorism pact, and a social charter on raising living standards among the region's 1.4 billion people, who earn an average 450 dollars per year.

South Asia is home to a fifth of the world's population and nearly half its poor.
The South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) Framework envisions a free trade regime starting from January 1, 2006, when the seven states begin dropping their tariffs to 0 to 5.0 percent. Deadlines for implementing the tariff regime will differ according to respective states' economic prowess.

Vajpayee said in a formal statement Saturday he would "interact" with his Pakistani hosts during his three-day visit, but told Indian state television that there would be no "bilateral" talks with the Pakistanis.

He told Pakistani television he could meet Musharraf and discuss the rivals' contentious territorial dispute over Kashmir, but gave no timeframe.

Newspapers were rife with speculation that talks may take place Tuesday after the closing session and before Vajpayee returns to India.

Vajpayee told Pakistani television on the eve of the summit that he was willing to dicuss Kashmir but reiterated it was an integral part of India.

Officials have hinted that some level of ice-breaking meetings will take place.

"The expectations are very, very high," Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank, who uses only one name, told reporters Saturday.

Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, in his most optimistic forecast yet, said "the winds of change are blowing in the SAARC region."
--AFP

Bangladesh calls for a 'win-win' trade regime in South Asia

Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Sunday called upon South Asian nations to devise trade promotion so that it becomes a "win-win situation for all."

"Trade promotion critically calls for reducing tariffs, dismantling non-tariff barriers and impediments of an institutional and attitudinal nature affecting exports from smaller to larger SAARC countries," Zia told the opening of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, a grouping of seven nations.

"Trade liberalization should lead to a win-win situation for all. In other words, it needs to be approached with a more open mind."

Leaders of SAARC are due to take up for approval a draft South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement which has already been cleared by the region's foreign ministers.

During the deliberations, Bangladesh, one of the forum's less developed countries, expressed serious concerns about the agreement and put forth proposals like compensation and a longer timeframe for freeing trade at its end.

These concerns were taken into consideration by the foreign ministers and now the final document is before the summit heads for approval.

Zia said the new trade regime could include "special measures for the least developed countries" like an adequate timeframe for freeing trade; compensatory financing for revenue loss and the concept of early harvest.

"Economies of the South, especially the least developed among them, have been marginalized," she said.
--AFP

Vajpayee calls for trust and trade in South Asia

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Sunday called for "mutual trust and confidence" in South Asia for long-term economic cooperation, in a speech that won warm praise from his Pakistani counterpart.

"We have to change South Asia's image and standing in the world," Vajpayee said during the opening session of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a grouping of seven nations.

"We must take the bold transition from mistrust to trust, from discord to concord, and from tension to peace.

"Any joint endeavour needs mutual trust and confidence."

Vajpayee said despite centuries of conflicts and wars, a string of regional economic groupings have been formed in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean region -- showing a way for SAARC.

"All these examples remind us that rational economics should triumph over political prejudice in South Asia," the prime minister said.

He added that the common bonds of religion, language, ethnicity and culture of the region were "far more enduring that the relatively recent barriers of political prejudice that we have erected".

"We should renew these bonds and jointly overcome poverty, disease and hunger."

The Indian leader was hailed by Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali at the conclusion of his speech.

"We have great respect for his excellency Atal Behari Vajpayee, he personifies many qualities. He is a visionary, a poet, a prolific writer and an able politician, which are the qualities of a true leader," Jamali said.

Leaders and top officials of the bitter nuclear rivals have been striking notes of warmth and cordiality in the lead-up to the summit, raising hopes of a meeting on the summmit's sidelines.

Any talks would be the first since the neighbours came to the brink of a feared nuclear war in 2002.

Vajpayee's remarks were preceded by Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali's speech in which he called for an end to tensions to forge "robust" economic cooperation.

"Greater economic integration is inextricably linked to the creation of requisite political climate of peace and stability," Jamali said.

"It is the stark reality of differences and disputes that has held back prospects of real economic cooperation in South Asia.

In his speech, Vajpayee also hailed the recent Bhutanese government crackdown on Indian militants operating from that country as an "outstanding example of sensitivity to the security concerns of a neighbour".
--AFP

Pakistani PM urges end to South Asia tensions

Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali urged an end to tensions in South Asia here Sunday, saying they had hampered the region's economic progress in his opening address to a landmark summit in Islamabad.

"Greater ecoonomic integration is inexplicably linked to the creation of requisite political climate of peace and stability," he told the opening of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

"It is a stark reality that political differences and disputes have held back prospects of economic cooperation in South Asia.

"We subscribe to the vision of global multi-dimensional cooperation in South Asia, but we must realize that that this vision can only be transformed into reality if we are able to overcome our differences and disputes and create a climate of mutual trust and confidence."

SAARC, founded in 1985, groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and is home to 1.4 billion largely poor people.

Jamali made no direct mention of Pakistan's decades-old rival neighbour India, nor did he mention Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan region at the core of their 56-year old rivalry,

Tensions between the nuclear powers are blamed for holding back intra-SAARC cooperation and development.

Optimism is running high that thawing ties between India and Pakistan and a newly-struck agreement on establishing a South Asian free trade zone will set SAARC on a new path of progress during this summit.
--AFP

Lankan president sees hope for South Asia from India-Pakistan thaw

Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday hailed peace overtures between India and Pakistan and a free trade agreement as boosting chances of saving South Asia from global marginalisation.

"The vision and courage demonstrated recently by the leaders of India and Pakistan in their efforts to resolve bilateral issues have infused this summit, as well as the process of SAARC, with a renewed sense of purpose and vigour," Kumaratunga said in her opening address to the 12th South Asia summit.

The South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, began its first summit since 2002 in Pakistan's capital Islamabad Sunday.

Kumaratunga said South Asia faced marginalisation in the global economy and risked regression in economic and social development as other regional groupings forged ahead.

SAARC by comparison has been held hostage since its 1985 inception to tensions between its giants India and Pakistan.

However the nuclear rivals, on the brink of war less than two years ago, are now in the throes of normalising relations and momentum has picked up in the lead-up to the seven-nation summit.

"Recent developments in our region have given us great cause for hope for the future of SAARC. The reduction of tensions between the two largest member states of our association gives rise to much confidence," the Sri Lankan leader said.

"Our prayers and wishes will be with you during this historic moment in Indo-Pakistan relations.

Hopes are high that Indian and Pakistani leaders will seize the summit as a chance to meet for the first time since nearly going to war in 2002.

Kumaratunga welcomed the draft free trade zone agreement, ready for approval by summit heads after the text was finalised in pre-summit talks, as an "historic step for regional economic cooperation."

"As the pioneer South Asian state to undertake economic liberalisation, Sri Lanka welcomes the conclusion of SAFTA, even though we possess a small and vulnerable economy.

"It is necessary that we keep in mind that short term losses would be compensated by the opportunities gained from trade expansion under SAFTA."

Kumaratunga stressed that intra-SAARC trade was "extremely unsatisfactory" at five percent, compared to 38 percent within the Association for South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Economists predict the free trade arrangements could boost intra-SAARC trade to 60 percent.
--AFP

Nepal PM hails India, Pakistan peace moves

Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa Sunday hailed the ongoing India-Pakistan peace overtures as encouraging.

"We have been very encouraged by the positive developments that have recently taken place in improving relations between India and Pakistan," Thapa said in his speech at the inauguration of the 12th summit of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

"We welcome significant overtures and initiatives taken by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf in this direction.

"Nepal believes that improvement of relations between India and Pakistan will lead to relaxation of tension and help strengthen the SAARC."

Pakistan's Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali and Vajpayee, who is also attending the conference, earlier called for greater trust and enhanced trade in the region.
--AFP

Bhutan backs nascent Indo-Pak peace initiatives

Bhutan on Sunday backed the nascent peace moves initiated by India and Pakistan, saying it had raised hopes for stability in South Asia.

"Our hearts are lifted by the winds of rapprochment that are blowing across our region," the tiny Himalayan kingdom's Prime Minister, Jigmi Thinley, said in a speech at the 12th summit of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) in Islamabad.

He said the eight-month-old normalization process between India and Pakistan had raised hopes of a "more durable environment for peace and stability" in the region.

"The air over Islamabad is filled with optimism," he said as leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka met for the three-day summit.

"Bhutan fully supports the positive developments and the people and the government offer their prayers and best wishes for forward movement in the interest of South Asians."

He hailed the decision on establishing a South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and an accord on additional protocol on suppression of terrorism in the region.

The Bhutanese premier also condemned last month's assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf in Rawalpindi.

"While we take comfort in the failure of attempt on the life of His Excellency President Pervez Musharraf, we cannot but see it as yet another rude reminder of our lack of will to root out this menace of terrorism." he said His own country, he added, had been victim to terrorism for six years as militants from the neighbouring Indian state of Assam and West Bengal had set up training camps there.
 
"Having succeeded into sneaking into Bhutan, they had established 30 camps in the dense jungle along the entire Bhutan-India border," he said.

"The strategically located camps were used to train insurgents, store arms and ammunition and to launch terrorist attacks inside India."

He said many Bhutanese were killed in attacks by militants.

"We explored for six long years every peaceful option," he said. After failing to persuade them to leave the country, the Bhutanese army last month launched an operation to flush them out.

Almost all the militant leaders had been apprehended, while others continued to surrender or find their way out of the country, he said.

"We feel we have contributed to a safe and secure environment for socio-economic development in Bhutan and the neighbouring region of India."
--AFP

Maldives leader slams South Asian military buildup

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Sunday called upon the leaders of heavily militarised South Asia to work for economic development instead of stockpiling weapons.
 
"Our people need food, not fighter aircraft, books not bombs, magazines not missiles," said Gayoom, 65, who is the longest-serving leader of Asia, as the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit opened in Islamabad.

People need to protect the environment and their rich culture, he said, adding "that is the least they (leaders) can do for their successive generations."

"South Asia must boost its strength not to fight wars or to maim and kill but to overcome poverty, hunger, disease and despair."

Calling for speedy development of the region, home to one-fifth of humanity -- almost half of which lives in poverty -- the leader of the Indian Ocean island nation said South Asia needs to focus all its energies on development.

"SAARC soon may become an anachronism if we individually and collectively do not find the heart to step into the future.

"Let us not let that future slip through our fingers. Let us build on the breakthroughs that we have accomplished and usher in a new dawn," Gayoom said.
--AFP

Vajpayee, Musharraf to meet today

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will meet Monday on the sidelines of a regional summit, a Pakistani official announced in Islamabad.

"The meeting will take place sometime tomorrow," foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan told a press briefing late Sunday, after Vajpayee issued a request to meet the Pakistani President.

Vajpayee earlier held ice-breaking talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali after the opening of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Vajpayee and Musharraf have not spoken formally since July 2001 when they attended a bilateral summit in the Indian city of Agra.

They shook hands two years ago at the last SAARC summit in Kathmandu.
--AFP

Indo-Pak PMs' meeting crowns opening of SAARC summit

Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan met Sunday for the first time since coming to the brink of war in 2002, crowning the opening of a landmark South Asian summit which is carrying hopes for regional peace and free trade.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali entered historic one-on-one talks straight after the opening of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at Islamabad's Convention Center.

"The meeting has taken place, it was a good meeting," Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri told reporters after the surprise meeting, as he entered his own bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha.

The two premiers met privately for 15 minutes on the summit's sidelines before being joined by aides for another seven minutes of talks, state TV reported.

The two foreign ministers later met "in a very warm and cordial atmosphere" for 45 minutes, Kasuri said.

Vajpayee has now sought a meeting with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who wields more power than Jamali, for Monday.

"Our prime minister has asked for a courtesy call with President Musharraf tomorrow," Sinha told reporters after meeting Kasuri.

Musharraf is holding a banquet later Sunday which Vajpayee will attend with the other six visiting SAARC leaders.

Vajpayee and Musharraf last met at a failed summit in the Indian city of Agra in July 2001.

Foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan called the Vajpayee-Jamali meeting a "courtesy call" while state television reported that "close cooperation and other matters of mutual interest" were discussed.

Sinha had remarked on the eve of the summit that "the winds of change are blowing in the SAARC region."

SAARC leaders echoed his optimism at the opening ceremony.

"Our hearts are lifted by the winds of rapprochement that are blowing across our region," Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Yaeser Thinley said in his address.

The historic summit was earlier declared open by outgoing chairman, Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, in a tightly-guarded two-and-a-half-hour ceremony.

The leaders of the seven SAARC nations -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- delivered speeches and signed a social charter aimed at lifting the region's 1.4 billion people out of poverty.

The summit is the 18-year forum's first since January 2002. Last year's summit was cancelled when Vajpayee refused to travel to Pakistan because of ongoing tensions.

His journey to Islamabad for this year's summit comes eight months after he kick-started fresh peace moves with a "hand of friendship" offer to Pakistan -- a peace bid the 79-year-old has repeatedly declared will be the last of his lifetime.

Earlier the leaders of SAARC, which has been hostage to the decades-old tensions between its giants India and Pakistan, hailed the detente and voiced hope that a free trade pact would finally set the region on the path to progress.

"The reduction of tensions between the two largest member states of our association gives rise to much confidence," Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga said.

Vajpayee used his speech to urge on a new era of trust.

"We must take the bold transition from mistrust to trust, from discord to concord, and from tension to peace.... Any joint endeavour needs mutual trust and confidence."

Jamali heaped praise on his Indian counterpart after the speech, calling him "a visionary, a poet, a prolific writer and an able politician, which are the qualities of a true leader."

Earlier the Pakistani premier linked economic progress to peace in the region.

"It is a stark reality that political differences and disputes have held back prospects of economic cooperation in South Asia," the Pakistani premier said.

Topping the summit agenda is a treaty on turning South Asia into a free trade zone, and an expanded anti-terrorism pact.

Under the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) Framework the seven states will begin lowering intra-SAARC tariffs to below 5.0 percent from 2006.
--AFP

PMs of nuclear rivals India and Pakistan break the ice

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali met for almost half an hour in an historic ice-breaking meeting on Sunday, ministers and officials said.

"The meeting has taken place. It was a good meeting," Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri told reporters.

"Our prime minister met prime minister Jamali at a courtesy call which lasted for half an hour, including 15 minutes of one-on-one," Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters.

"It was a very warm and cordial call."

The talks were the first between the bitter nuclear rivals since they came to the brink of war in 2002.

Vajpayee is now seeking a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf, who wields more power than Jamali, on Monday.

"Our prime minister has asked for a courtesy call with President Musharraf tomorrow," Sinha said.

Sunday's surprise talks came just ahead of a meeting between Kasuri and Sinha at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna called the foreign ministers' meeting a "courtesy call".

"Both expressed satisfaction at the progress in bilateral relations and discussed ways to maintain the momentum," Sarna said.

The two premiers entered talks straight after the opening of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit at Islamabad's Convention Center.

"The two leaders met on the sidelines of the SAARC summit," foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan told AFP.

"It has taken place. It is a significant meeting. PM Vajpayee and PM Jamali met for half an hour. It was a courtesy call."

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid called the meeting a "positive development".

"If we can move forward to a composite dialogue from here it will crown the SAARC achievements," Rashid said.

"We hope that Mr Vajpayee will now also call on President (Pervez) Musharraf."

State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) showed footage of Jamali, Vajpayee and senior officials sitting together.

It said the two met one-on-one for 16 minutes and with their aides for seven minutes.

The two premiers "began meeting soon after the inaugural session" of the 12th SAARC summit, PTV reported, describing the atmosphere as "friendly and cordial".

"The two leaders are expected to discuss close co-operation and other matters of mutual interest," PTV said.

The foreign ministers met "in a very warm and cordial atmosphere" for 45 minutes, Kasuri said.

"It bodes well for India and Pakistan that Mr Sinha and I have developed a very good personal relationship and we intend to use this personal relationship for the betterment of the people of India and Pakistan."
--AFP