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Saarc summit in Dhaka to be a landmark event

India hopes

Staff Correspondent
Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran yesterday said the 13th Saarc Summit in Dhaka is going to be a landmark event to discuss important steps like setting up of the regional poverty alleviation fund.
"Wr have a substantial agenda at the Saarc summit in Dhaka," Saran who returned from the US last night told reporters in New Delhi.
Predicting an upbeat future for the South Asian grouping that was formed two decades ago, he said. "The Saarc Is moving from the stage of. making declaratory sentences to doingcollabomtionwork."
’Ilie summit of the South Asian 'W^soclotion for Regional ‘ Cooperation (Saarc) is scheduled for November,12-13. The seven-nation group comprises Bangladesh. Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
According to a PTI report, Saran said tlie Saarc countries are discussing attaching Afghanistan to the regionaibody.
"We have been talking to each other about the possibility of Afghanistan joining as a new member." Saran added.
This figured during the meeting of die Saarc foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. All the ministers agreed the Saarc meet in Dhaka inNoveinberwouidbea"landmark" summit, headded.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai had expressed keen interest in his country joining the Saarc during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit to Kabul. Singh had
assured Karzai that the Saarc members will consider theproposalsoon.
Karzai told Singh Afghanistan could be a bridge between the Central Asia and southern and western Asia. He had earlier discussed the same issue with Pakistan President w Pervez .Musharaff, who was very joiitiviMiwnrds the Suggestion.
The Indian foreign secretary said it was agreed that there should be a "substantive" agenda for the 13th Saarcsummit..
"Our efforts should be to move Saarc from a stage of declaratory statements to a stage of actually doing some collaborative work," he said.
The Saarc ministers had an exchange of views on the setting up of the poverty alleviation fund and specific proposals dealing with disaster management in the light of the tsunami that affected several Saarc nations.
Asked about the inclusion of a new member, an important official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh said the decision came at the Kathmandu summit to prepare criteria for inclusion of membersand observer in the Saarc.
He said a number of important Asian and European countries including China have expressed keen interest to get Saarc observer status.
Bangladesh raised a point to give China the observer status, but India proposed to prepare criteria first before giving anyone Uris status.
However, the criteria are yet not prepared, the official added.