13th SAARC summit opens in Dhaka

DHAKA: The twice-postponed 13th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was opened here Saturday Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in his capacity as SAARC chairman with economic cooperation and terrorism topping the agenda.

The summit was declared open at about 11.30 a.m. in the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz of Pakistan, the current chair country of SAARC.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was in the chair before handing over the grouping’s leadership to host Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as all the leaders took their seats on a white flower bedecked podium.

The leaders also observed a minute of silence in the memory of victims of the recent earthquake in India and Pakistan as well as last year’s tsunami in several south and south-east Asian countries.

Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, Manmohan Singh of India, Shaukat Aziz of Pakistan and Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup of Bhutan as well as Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga of Bangladesh and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives besides King Gyanendra of Nepal are attending the summit.

In his opening remarks Prime Minister Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz urged South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member states to jointly struggle for creating peace in South Asia.

He noted that congenial political atmosphere in South Asia positively affected SAARC

The Prime Minister said that Pakistan played pivotal role for making SAARC more effective.

He also expressed sympathy and condoled with those countries who were affected by natural disasters of Tsunami and earthquake in the region.

Mr. Aziz observed that the current earthquake in Pakistan killed and injured thousands of people besides causing great property loss.

He appreciated Pakistani nation who adopted patience and courage in critical time and expressed solidarity with quake-stricken persons.

The Prime Minister also offered thanks to SAARC member states and other countries for giving donations to help quake-hit people.

He welcomed Afghanistan’s desire to become the member of SAARC, added we also respect China’s aspire to get SAARC membership.

Earlier, Mr Aziz expressed gratitude to Bangladesh government for arranging SAARC conference.

He also welcomed new Secretary General of SAARC Mr. Doorjee.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the 13th SAARC Summit here, said New Delhi was "prepared to offer to all SAARC neighbours, on a reciprocal basis and without prejudice to existing rights, the facility of daily air services by designated airlines to out metropolitan cities ... and as many services as they wish to eighteen other destinations all across India".

The metro cities offered were Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

"I would also like to offer to the designated airlines of SAARC countries the facility to exercise Fifth Freedom rights, both intermediate and beyond, within the SAARC region, on a reciprocal basis.

"We should encourage more air services and for this it may be worthwhile to provide, in our air agreements, multiple designation of airlines," the Indian Prime Minister said.

Before the opening, the leaders visited the National Mausoleum to pay homage to martyrs who laid down their lives during the Bangladesh independence struggle in 1971 and also the grave of former Bangladesh president Ziaur Rahman, who mooted the idea of a South Asian regional forum.