The Delhi SAARC summit has ended successfully giving a lie to a nervously-held notion that political distancing between some member-states in the long two-year aftermath of the Dhaka summit could affect its outcome. In a way it has also debunked a western media surmise that SAARI s w’eak political roots in historical distrust and prejudices between member-nations will be increasingly pronounced with each passing round of SAARC summitry.

The New Delhi SAARC summit breaking the cobwebs of these negative soundings has only proved the commonsense truism that with years it is an expanding circle of cooperation that you find yourselves in rather than a shrinking one. One almost comes to believe that subconsciously the SAARC leaders were greatly influenced by the doubts cast in SAARC to prove that it has come to stay and move from strength to strength. The surfacing of ECO in and around Central Asia and the floating of an idea of a greater Indian Ocean cooperation zone, inclusive of South Africa, hardly reduces the intrinsic value of SAARC as a potential economic union. The EU began after the 2nd Great War with only coal and iron on the agenda for cooperation. More importantly, the political dividends to be derived from SAARC can be very impressive and highly useful which, as it happened. we had glimpsed through the key-hole of Delhi summit. The long-stalled water talks have begun between India and Bangladesh. Narasimha Rao has agreed to give a- push to the held-up tribal repatriation from India. Pakistan and India are to hold talks on Kashmir in search of a nonmilitary solution.

The Delhi Declaration limbers up to some global concerns such as terrorism which has been roundly condemned, and nuclear weapons whose elimination has been sought through the holding of an international convention. The developed world has been urged not to raise trade barriers by capitalising on social or environmental issues.

The Delhi summit has provided a new thrust to poverty alleviation by adopting a comprehensive strategy. A three-window development fund to be raised. The declaration of 1995 as Poverty Eradication Year and of 1996 as Literacy Year clearly bring out the order of priorities set. Since trade accelerates growth five times faster than foreign aid.' SAPTA cannot be allowed to fail.