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SAARC still has future, Kumaratunga says

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) can still be a strong forum for development, provided its member states and secretariat play proactive roles, said Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
"There are political problems between two member states (of SAARC)," Kumaratunga said alluding to India and Pakistan.
Despite all odds, the forum must move forward, she told the press at the Sonargaon Hotel yesterday afternoon prior to leaving Bangladesh after completion of a two-day visit.
Kumaratunga also spoke on the ongoing peace process in her country to put an end to decades of an ethnic strife.
The sixth attempt to have a negotiated settlement of the separatist movement of LTTE is now going on, with talks and a ceasefire for the longest time ever, she said. Asked about the difference of opinion between her and Sri Lankan SEE PAGE 11 COL 3 FROM PAGE 1
Prime Minister Ranil Vikramasinghe on the peace process, Kumaratunga said the president in the Sri Lankan system of government exercised executive power and could do anything except turning a "man into a woman and a woman into a man".
Currently, the president belongs to one political party, while the prime minister to the other but, "I have no plan of dissolving the parliament", she said.
People of Sri Lanka consider that there is strong evidence that the LTTE is running a de facto separate state, Kumaratunga said. "The LTTE has got separate legal system, a banking system in place of their own, separate tax system and they have their own police force. They recruit children (for fighting)."
Kumaratunga was highly critical of the US-led invasion of Iraq, saying "the attack on Iraq should not have happened. This kind of operation should not have been carried out outside the purview of UN."
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury at another press briefing said both the visiting Sri Lankan president and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia underscored an early convention of the stalled 12th SAARC
summit, scheduled for last year in Islamabad.
The SAARC standing committee (foreign minister-level) will meet soon at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu to discuss a probable schedule for the summit, Chowdhury said.
Khaleda and Kumaratunga had a common view that the UN should play the central role in Iraq rebuilding and the situation in Iraq should stabilise soon with the Iraqi people enjoying their sovereignty, the secretary said.
The leaders of the two SAARC neighbours also resolved that a durable solution to problems in Palestine must come, he said.
Terming the Sri Lankan president's visit useful, friendly and productive, Chowdhury said Kumaratunga had a hour-long discussion with Khaleda yesterday and both the leaders discussed the entire gamut of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern and interests.
Sri Lanka has a 100 million dollars investment in Bangladesh and Khaleda looks forward to more investment inflow, especially in tourism, said Chowdhury.
The secretary also indicated the possibility of resumption of Air Lanka's flights between Dhaka and Colombo.
Kumaratunga had separate discussions with Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's leading chamber bodies and ministers.
BSS adds: The two leaders discussed in particular ways of economic developments through mutual cooperation, the foreign secretary said.
Khaleda and Kumaratunga recognised the "increasingly important role being played by the private sectors of the two countries and agreed to give further impetus to their private sectors to enhance the overall volume of bilateral trade and investment".
Chowdhury said the two leaders also agreed to expedite the signing of memorandum of understanding on long-term purchase of jute and jute goods by Sri Lanka from Bangladesh and encourage greater interactions between business leaders of the two countries.
Sri Lanka agreed to reduce the existing duties on raw jute and jute goods on a unilateral and nonreciprocal basis within the SAPTA and WTO framework and assured Bangladesh of simplification of the registration process of Bangladesh pharmaceutical products for export to Sri Lanka, he said.