The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Colombo

Dhaka called for making SAARC more effective to enable it to tackle the major regional and global contemporary problems like food security, trade, energy and climate change.

Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury made the call while addressing the first session of the SAARC Council of Ministers in the Sri Lankan capital yesterday morning, in the run-up to the forum's summit on August 2-3.

The Foreign Adviser underscored the need for a continued focus on poverty alleviation within the broad context of social development.

He made the statement on Food Security that is to be issued by the Heads of Government in SAARC. He asked for the early operationalisation of the Food Bank.

Dr Iftekhar described the South Asian Free Trade Area as a "vehicle of progress in trade and investment" and asked for the removal of all non -tariff barriers that impeded intra-SAARC commerce and posed difficulties for least developed country members of the grouping.

The Foreign Adviser stressed the need for a holistic approach to climate change and the need to adopt cooperative measures to reduce the impact of natural disasters and help the member-countries adapt to the changes.

On security, he urged on the need for a comprehensive regional strategy.

Given the fact that the SAARC region provides the preponderant proportion of UN peacekeepers and given that there are already bilateral contacts among the militaries, Dr. Iftekhar Chowdhury proposed a structure of collaboration within the SAARC umbrella of meetings and collaboration of senior military officers of the region.

He welcomed the headquartering of the South Asian Regional Standards Organization in Dhaka.

He also emphasized the need to give the ownership of SAARC to the people of the region so that the organization truly becomes a "peoples' SAARC".

Earlier, the chairmanship of the Council was transferred from Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitatha Bogollagama.