Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will lead Pakistani delegation to the 15th Saarc Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka from August 2-3, foreign office spokesman said Monday. Heads of state or governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka will also attend the Summit.
The Summit will be preceded by the meetings of the SAARC Council of Ministers (31 July - 1 August), Standing Committee (29-30 July) and the Programming Committee (27-28 July). Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will represent the 30th session of Saarc Council of Ministers.
The Colombo Saarc Summit is expected to review the implementation of decisions taken at earlier summits and discuss additional measures to promote regional co-operation. The occasion would also be utilised for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit. The summit will adopt a Summit Declaration, which will reflect the key issues on the SAARC agenda.
The summit is also expected to decide on the request of Australia and Myanmar for grant of observer status with Saarc. China, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, US and EU have already been granted observer status last year. A number of Saarc documents including the Charter of SAARC Development Fund; Agreement on the establishment of Saarc Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO); Saarc Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters; and The Protocol on the Accession of Afghanistan to SAFTA are expected to be signed during the Summit.
Over the years, Saarc has made notable progress in a number of areas including trade, finance, poverty alleviation and environment. SAFTA is progressing well. Efforts are being made to create a level playing field by eliminating all tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.
The Saarc Development Fund (SDF) is in its final stages of establishment which will serve as an umbrella financing mechanism for longer term projects of the region. SAARC Food Bank is being established. A regional study on multi-modal transport is also under the active consideration of the member states.
The Colombo Summit would provide a good opportunity for SAARC leaders to review the progress on these and other issues under the ambit of Saarc. Pakistan attaches high importance to Saarc and its activities. Pakistan has contributed meaningfully to the establishment, institutionalisation and progress of this association. It has played a proactive role to reinvigorate Saarc both by providing substantive inputs and hosting several meetings, including Ministerial level meetings and workshops.