Author: V. Mohan Narayan
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: August 21, 2002
SAARC countries have agreed to amend
domestic legislations and bring them on par with international laws against
terrorism ahead of their foreign ministers meet tomorrow, to discuss threats
posted by the scourge to regional stability and step to enhance economic
co-operation.
The foreign secretaries of India,
Pakistan and five other South Asian members of the bloc, agreed in principle
during their two-day deliberations here that each member needed to pass
legislation to implement the Saarc convention against terrorism. The Saarc
secretariat will make a compendium of all enabling laws.
"This is important in terms of creating
the necessary institutional framework under which countries can actually
cooperate and make extradition easy," Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal
said. The Saarc foreign ministers will take a final view on this and other
issues confronting the region during their two-day meeting beginning here
tomorrow.
The meeting will also provide external
affair minister Yashwant Sinha and Pakistan's minister of state for foreign
affairs Inam ul Haq to come face-to-face for the first time but no bilateral
meeting on the sidelines of the meet is slated for them.
New Delhi has stuck to its stand
that dialogue with Pakistan was possible only if it stops infiltration
and cross border terrorism in J&K. India has also accused Pakistan
President Pervez Musharraf of reneging of his commitment to the international
community to stop this.
The Saarc convention on suppression
of terrorism was adopted in '87 but it was felt little progress has been
made in implementing it.
