January 4, 2004
A landmark South Asian summit has opened in Islamabad 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."
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