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Kathmandu Saturday November 03, 2001 Kartik 18, 2058.
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SAARC Summit likely in Jan
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Nov 2 – The summit of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) could be held in Kathmandu early next year if
all the seven countries agree to the dates, a senior SAARC official said here today.
Thinley Dorji, a Bhutanese diplomat and one of the directors
of SAARC secretariat here said that the summit could be held in the first week of January,
now just two months away, if all concerned governments could agree on the proposed dates.
"The dates are more or less confirmed," he said.
Dorji was speaking in the capacity of Officer-in-Charge of
the SAARC secretariat in the absence of SAARC Secretary General Nihal Rodrigo who is
currently in Colombo attending a cultural meet of the regional grouping. He is also
reportedly trying to drum up support for the proposed dates.
The Hindu, one of the leading newspapers of India, today
reported that the SAARC summit could be held from January 4-6 in Kathmandu. The paper also
reported that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Gen.
Pervez Musharraf could hold a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in
Kathmandu. The report said that the two leaders could hold the mini-summit here if their
proposed meeting in New York failed to materialize.
Dorji today further said that some of the member states have
already confirmed the summit dates. "Some of the member states have indeed confirmed
the dates proposed by the current chairperson (Sri Lanka) and the next chairperson (Nepal)
but I am not in a position to reveal the names of those countries," Dorji told The
Kathmandu Post.
Speaking about the chances of the Summit being held early
next year, Dorji said the indications were positive. However, striking a note of caution,
he added that the current international situation was very volatile that could have its
effect on the Summit.
Foreign Ministry officials could not be reached for their
comments on the developments.
The Indian daily, quoting knowledgeable sources, said that
India signaled through diplomatic channels its readiness to attend the long- delayed
summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The SAARC Summit was originally scheduled to be held in
December 1999 in Kathmandu but was postponed mainly due to India’s intransigence,
stemming from its opposition to military takeover in Pakistan in October 1999. However, in
July this year, India was the first country to recognise Musharraf presidency.
Prof Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director of the Institute of
Foreign Affairs, expressed the hope that the Summit would be held on the proposed dates.
"There are indications that the things are moving in the right direction," said
Khatri. He added that the Summit had many issues to thrash out like the establishment of
social charter, free trade area in South Asia, among others.
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