NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Searching For Identity

After postponement of the 11h SAARC Summit, South Asian intellectuals urge for its continuation

-By KESHAB POUDEL

Does South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation have any importance? "Certainly,"said leaders, political scientists and intellectuals of the region who gathered last week to debate on importance of SAARC in fostering economic cooperation in the new millenium.

Addressing international conference on South Asia 2010: Challenges and Opportunities organized by the Coalition for Action on South Asian Cooperation (CASAC), a forum of South Asian intellectuals, participants urged political leaders to start a meaningful dialogue for cooperation.

Although the conference on South Asia discussed on various issues, most of the speakers present at the seminar were worried following the postponement of 11th summit.

"The SAARC summit will be held soon after consultation among leaders," said prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai inaugurating the seminar. "We believe SAARC is only a forum and an indispensable instrument to propel meaningful cooperation."

The seminar is the first of its kind organized by a forum of imminent intellectuals of the region to debate on various issue of regional cooperation in the present context.

After the cancellation of 11th SAARC summit slated for November 26-28, this is the first type of interaction program where intellectuals of the region shared their views.

"We want continuation of regional cooperation among South Asian nations and have always lauded the efforts made by SAARC in this regard," said Muchkunda Dubey, former foreign secretary of India.

The 11th SAARC summit was postponed following proposal of India that it would be appropriate to defer the Summit for some time in the backdrop of military coup in Pakistan.

From prime minister Bhattarai to former prime minister of India I.K. Gujral and other intellectuals as well have stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation.

"SAARC process should be continued," demanded eminent South Asian intellectuals urging nations in the region to endorse the Group of Eminent Persons Report (GEPs report) submitted to the Colombo Summit last year.

The three day seminar was full of debates and discussions on the problems and prospects of South Asian Association of Regional Conference.

One of the important recommendations of the conference was related to poverty eradication. It concluded that poverty was the single most pressing issue in the region and it is becoming more complicated with globalization.

Recommendation was also made to enhance SAARC interaction at people-to-people level in a broad-based manner by encouraging networking arrangements at the non-governmental level between various concerned segments of the civil society.

Another important part of the conference was its recommendation to incorporate certain irreducible minimum elements in the South Asian Free Trade Areas which is now under operation.

It also noted that the regional pace of progress under the SAARC has not been in accordance with people's aspiration and SAARC's own objectives as set out in its charter.

The conference pointed out that the region is facing formidable challenges posed by the exponentially rising cost of non-cooperation, the adverse effect of globalization and inadequate attention being given to the interrelationship between poverty, environment degradation and sustainable development.

Despite hostility in the region, the seminar stressed the need for the continuation of SAARC process.