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The SAARC Summit could be held in December this year because the postponement was more due to logistical problems than matters of substance, said the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar addressing the SAARC Special Session at the BMICH, Colombo Thursday. He emphasised the importance of the objectives and goals of SAARC’s, commitment to building a shared future. He also stressed that the meeting should work collectively and devotedly for the betterment of the peoples and the progress of the South Asian region. The Third Special Session was scheduled to be held in Colombo on 7-8 June 2001. It was postponed due to the unexpected, untimely and terribly tragic demise of His late Majesty Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the king of Nepal and members of the Royal family. The full text of the Foreign Minister’s speech is as follows; Inaugural Address by Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka, Chairman of the SAARC Council of Ministers at the Third Special Session of the SAARC Standing Committee, Colombo 9-10 August, 2001 It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate the Third Special Session of the Standing Committee today. I extend to all the Foreign Secretaries and their delegations a very warm welcome to Colombo. This special Session meets at a crucial time in the history of regional cooperation in South Asia. It will provide an important opportunity for the delegations to exchange views, to take stock of developments and to chart the path of SAARC for the coming years. The Third Special Session was scheduled to be held in Colombo on 7-8 June 2001. It was postponed to this day due to the unexpected, untimely and terribly tragic demise of His late Majesty Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the king of Nepal and members of the Royal family. It is fitting to pay tribute to His late Majesty who was a pioneer of South Asian regional cooperation and a founding father of SAARC. His larger vision for South Asia and the continued interest he had evinced in the development of the Association are manifested in the gracious gesture of his Majesty’s Government of Nepal to host the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu and to create an atmosphere that has greatly facilitated the smooth functioning of the Secretariat in cooperation with the host Government. The deaths of his late Majesty and his family members came as a grievous shock to all the people of South Asia and to SAARC in particular. In the years ahead, we, the SAARC countries, should continue to uphold the ideals that His late Majesty stood for within SAARC and project to the wider world the vision that he had for a united South Asia. This Special Session is also significant for another reason. SAARC has held two Special Sessions previously in Colombo and New Delhi in 1992 and 1995 respectively. Those two Special Sessions were convened to address specific issues which required particular consideration different from the normal, routine matters usually considered by the Standing Committee. The Third Special Session that takes place today has before it an array of issues concerning regional cooperation which have accumulated over the last two years. I would venture to say, therefore, that the mandate of the Third Special Session is to address and analyse issues of immediate relevance to regional cooperation in an ambience free of the constraints that have held back progress in the recent past. The gathering of the Foreign Secretaries today has proved wrong those who disparage the prospects of regional cooperation in South Asia. Our detractors have often celebrated the demise of SAARC. Others suggest that the organization, although not yet dead, has outlived its usefulness and ought to be put to rest. That we have met once again to discuss, at the high level of Foreign Secretaries, issues of interest and concern to us confirms that the objectives and goals of SAARC, our commitment to building a shared future, remain very much alive. This meeting should work collectively and devotedly for the betterment of our peoples and the progress of our region. In our enthusiasm to dismiss criticism altogether, we should not, however, deflect fair and factual criticism from whatever quarter it may emanate. Since there had been no SAARC meeting at a sufficiently high level in the past three years there has been a reluctance, if not a legal disability, in taking decisions on new measures and initiatives to move along our work. But that apart there has been a slackening of interest in implementing directives which flowed from the last summit, perhaps because the need for a reinvigorated summit mandate is felt after a lapse of three years. The Tenth Summit held in Colombo had directed that the SAPTA framework be ready by 2001 and that a Social Charter for the region be developed beyond National Plans of Action. We have not moved fast enough in these two areas due to a lack of unanimity, sadly more on logistics, including dates, than on substance. Even the commencement of the New Arrangement for the integrated Programme of Action, approved by the Council of Ministers in February 1999, had to be extended beyond the time frame set for its coming into effect. Despite several directives, including those of the Tenth SAARC Summit and the Council of Ministers, the Fourth Round of SAPTA negotiations have still to begin. Some of the criticism here is fair. The Standing Committee would need to look at these and other issues with the seriousness they deserve and take concrete decisions. The Government of Sri Lanka, pursuant to the commitment it gave to the SAARC leaders at the Tenth Summit in 1998, provided at its own expense an economist at the SAARC Secretariat initially for a period of two years. The Government is pleased that considerable work has been done by the economist in undertaking studies on all areas which have potential for greater economic cooperation within South Asia, including in the energy sector which will be handled by a newly established Technical Committee on Energy. Realising the clear necessity to have the services of an economist on a permanent basis at the Secretariat, I am pleased to announce here today that the Government of Sri Lanka has decided to provide the services of the economist for another year. In doing so, it is hoped that the other countries will follow suit, by providing their own experts to the SAARC Secretariat in order to strengthen its research and analysis capacity in areas of crucial interest to SAARC. While there has been a slowdown in the official SAARC process for the last three years, professional and civil society groups in the region were certainly not inactive. In fact, we saw an unprecedented upsurge of interest and enthusiasm among these groups to reach out to each other across the region enhancing people to people contact, a prominent objective of SAARC. Eminent persons across South Asia came together on many platforms of regional solidarity. The South Asian People’s Summit held in Colombo last year as well as several other gatherings of civil society groups elsewhere in the region served to highlight not merely the desirability but the inevitability of “our future together.” The message of all these activities was that it was time the official SAARC process moved forward. During the same period, a number of new professional groups were formed involving different disciplines and vocations, and a number of activities took place across a wider spectrum of endeavours than before, such as the South Asian Business Leaders’ Summit, the South Asia Documentary Film Festival, the South Asia Ophthalmologic Congress, to mention but a few. All these were activities which no doubt covered specific areas of interest to the groups concerned, but they all served to indicate that civil society groups continue to repose their faith and confidence in SAARC and in its ability to make a change in the life of our peoples. It redounds very much to the credit of these groups that their activities have underlined SAARC’s continued relevance as a forum for pursuing the collective progress of South Asia in the eyes of a wider public both within and outside the region. We need to endorse and encourage these various initiatives which help so much to bring together the people of South Asia. Inputs from these groups would be helpful in setting our own agenda and programmes for the future in a practical and people-oriented manner. We should not hesitate to consult these professional bodies and examine their working methods, where necessary, in order to see how they move forward in a spirit of compromise and consensus in their areas of cooperation. Their remit and focus may be limited, only relevant to their chosen disciplines, but the spirit of comradeship and the drive for constructive engagement manifested in them are unparalleled, a source of inspiration for many others in the region. Some of those groups, I understand, are now seeking the status of SAARC recognized bodies. The Standing Committee may do well to consider their requests favourably and afford them that facility if the relevant criteria are met. The fact that such recognition has been requested from SAARC is itself a re-affirmation of the continuing relevance and usefulness of SAARC. We need to acknowledge this important point. In doing so, we also need to look at the possibility of facilitating their interactions in the future. The extension of the SAARC Visa Exemption to such groups, which the Standing committee will consider under the appropriate item, will be a logical step in that direction. The Tenth Summit had assessed the implications of international developments on the economies of South Asia. As the summit Declaration stated, the challenges and opportunities inherent in these fast evolving developments could best be met, and the full potential of South Asia realized, through effective, practical, regional and bilateral cooperation among the member States of SAARC. Broadly, two approaches can be discerned. The first is the intensification of economic cooperation among the seven member States themselves; the second is the evolution of credible collective responses from the region to the volatile global economic environment in which we have to pursue our economic growth. These two processes are in fact complementary and need to be followed with care and foresight. Taking stock of developments in the field of intra-regional trade, the Colombo Summit underscored the need for extending deeper preferential tariff concessions to those products, which are being actively traded or likely to be traded. Greater focus was placed on the removal of structural impediments and non-tariff barriers. The domestic content requirements under the SAPTA Agreement had to be, and were indeed, reduced. As I mentioned earlier, the Fourth Round of Trade Negotiations under SAPTA is long overdue. A timeframe needs to be established, as directed by the last summit, for the completion of the Round. I hope very much that this Special Session will be able to examine the impediments constraining greater progress on SAPTA and provide firm recommendations for effective follow-up. The first meeting of the Committee of Experts to draft a treaty framework for SAFTA, as mandated by the Tenth Summit, met in Kathmandu in July 1999. The Experts identified a number of issues on which more decisive work was required if the treaty text was to be finalised by the end of 2001. A wide range of issues including Rules of Origin, revenue compensation mechanisms, graduated time frames for accession by individual member States received the attention of the experts. SAARC can benefit from studying the experiences of the European Union and Asian in considering the staggering of time frames and providing for a practical and realistic framework for the free trade treaty in South Asia. The schedule of meetings suggested by the SAARC Secretariat needs to be adhered to, given the already constricted time frame we have for the drafting of the text of the treaty. It is specially heartening to note that the Third SAARC Trade Fair which was long overdue will now take place in Pakistan in September this year and that the Government of Pakistan is making determined efforts in cooperation with the other member States to make the event a great success. The collective capacity of the Association in regard to policy analysis on international trade, monetory, financial, investment and other issues which impact on all our economies has been enhanced. Commerce Ministers and Commerce Secretaries have coordinated approaches to multilateral issues particularly those before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). In fact, a coordination group of SAARC ambassadors in Geneva continues their consultations on issues of concern to SAARC in the international bodies located in that city. Recently, Sri Lanka made a joint SAARC statement at the WIPO Inter-Governmental Committee on intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Folklore. Consultations also continue among SAARC Central Banks, Finance Ministries and Research Institutes. The SAARC Network of Researchers, established pursuant to a directive of the Tenth Summit, has, for the first time in SAARC history commenced publication of a South Asia Economic Journal, which publishes research papers on a wide array of economic and financial issues. With SAGE publishers having assumed the responsibility of publication, the financial viability of the project is expected to improve. South Asia, as we all know, is a region of considerable asymmetries, both within as well as between nations. Poverty alleviation measures in each of the member States are necessarily based on specific policies and priorities, constraints and assets unique to each individual country. Framing rigid common strategies for the social upliftment of the region is obviously not possible. There is ample scope, however, for South Asian countries to learn from each other’s experiences, and where possible, undertake joint programmes. The Government of Pakistan has offered to host a meeting of SAARC Finance and Planning Ministers on Poverty Alleviation, to examine all issues related to poverty and social mobilization, a meeting which needs to be firmed up with exact dates and other arrangements. On the question of specific social indicators, the Colombo Summit felt the need to develop, beyond national plans of action, a regional dimension of action including a specific role for SAARC. It was decided, accordingly, to develop a Social Charter, with targets to be achieved across the region in areas such as poverty alleviation, population stabilisation, the empowerment of women, human resources development, the promotion of health and nutrition and the protection of children. The First Meeting of the Inter Governmental Group on the drafting of a Social Charter met in Colombo in April this year, and adopted its programme of work for the future. The necessity for an open, inclusive participatory process involving governments and civil society at the national level was emphasised in order to make the Social Charter a truly regional instrument. As suggested by the Inter-Governmental Expert Group Colombo will host the Second Meeting soon to proceed with the drafting work. The Convention on Combating the Crime of Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution and the Convention on the Promotion of Child Welfare have been finalised, and remained on the table for the last two years. Their adoption, which was planned for the Eleventh Summit of Kathmandu, has unfortunately been delayed. This Special Session provides an occasion for the delegations to present clear recommendations on legal and other modalities for the early signature of the two draft Conventions with the authority of the respective Heads of States or Government. The support of UN Agencies in the implementation of the Conventions has also been informally discussed and could be pursued once the Conventions have been signed at an early date. I alluded earlier to the trend of public interest in various areas of activity in South Asia, manifested in the proliferation of professional and civil society groups. These groups range from those, which already enjoy the status of apex and recognised bodies, to those, which actively seek that recognition. SAARC now has two apex bodies, namely, the SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and SAARCLAW, and six recognised bodies. The Standing Committee has before it a specific request from a member State for the granting of apex body status to the South Asian Federation of Accountants, in addition to requests for recognised body status from several other groups. This development is most welcome and needs to be encouraged, and where possible the level of interaction between such bodies and the official SAARC process should be enhanced. The Economic Cooperation Conferences organised by the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry have interacted at Head of State and Ministerial level on regional economic promotion and have provided practical inputs for SAPTA and SAFTA as well as on negotiating positions for WTO and other multilateral fora. The SAARC Chambers are already playing a pivotal role in coordinating the position of the private sector in South Asia for the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Doha later this year. SAARCLAW, another apex body of SAARC, has conducted a series of activities aimed at evolving common legal and professional standards and advancing common legal positions on issues such as globalisation, natural resources management, corporate governance, democracy and the international trade regime. The Eighth Conference of SAARCLAW held in Kathmandu in September 2000 brought together members of the legal profession from all our countries, as well as, for the first time, leaders of the Bar Councils or Associations in South Asia. Chief Justices of the SAARC countries met simultaneously to discuss issues of common interest. Two important decisions of SAARCLAW, to establish a SAARC Institute of Legal Sciences in India and a Council for Arbitration need to be encouraged. All this would help, to a great extent, to create a culture of professionalism and solidarity within the region, across specific groupings. Most of the matters already within the remit of SAARC as well emerging global issues have their implications for the legal systems of SAARC countries. Although these are basically economic, social, cultural and technical matters, the legal consequences that they entail for State are sometimes severe. There are widely differing legal systems across South Asia, each with their unique features. Ample scope exists, however, for SAARC countries to learn from each other and collectively advance towards developing a common legal regime in identified areas. In the era of globalisation and trade liberalisation this is not only desirable but essential. The Government of Sri Lanka has accordingly proposed the establishment of a SAARC Forum of Legal Advisors of Foreign Ministries, and circulated a concept paper. I am confident that the Standing Committee will see merit in the proposal and commend it for necessary follow up. In respect of the cultural dimension, and here I speak in particular of the distinctive arts of South Asia, the Government of Sri Lanka would wish to host a meeting of SAARC Secretaries of Cultural Affairs to develop our offer, welcomed at the Tenth Summit, to prepare a practical action plan to network national institutes of cultural relations. The objective would be to establish a South Asian Cultural Centre. In developing such a centre, we need to be guided by the experiences already available within the region so that a practical mandate and viable functional modalities could be agreed to. The delegation of the member States, whose initiatives on forthcoming meetings and programmes are before SAARC for implementation or consideration, now have the opportunity to present them at the Special Meeting. Firm recommendations on agendas and dates would help move action on them. I am certain that this Meeting will fulfil the vital and urgent need that prompted its convening in extraordinary circumstances. The work of SAARC should not be held back. In fact, much of it depends on the decisions or recommendations that maybe made by the Foreign Secretaries at their regular meetings. As I stated a little while ago, an important point that we need to bear in mind is that progress within SAARC was impeded within the last two and a half years more on questions of logistics and formalities than on matters of substance. Regular meetings of Foreign Secretaries, irrespective of political developments within the region, are essential to continue the momentum of SAARC if it is to become, and remain, a viable, coherent and well functioning mechanism designed to advance regional cooperation in South Asia. I am confident that all member states would see merit in that proposition and ensure that SAARC functions smoothly at the level of Foreign Secretaries and above in the future. I sincerely appreciate the presence of the representatives of all SAARC countries today. I wish you all success in your collective endeavours. The news that the Eleventh SAARC Summit is likely to be held in Kathmandu at the end of December this year has once again lifted the spirit of all those within the region and outside who so much want SAARC to succeed. What I said in my opening address to the Senior Officials’ Meeting last October applies to the present meeting too: “Much will depend on how well they work together. The peoples of our region will be watching them and urging them to be reasonable, accommodating, constructive and committed”. Distinguished Foreign Secretaries and their delegations, I wish you a pleasant stay in Colombo, a city that always extends a warm welcome to our dear friends and neighbours, the members of the SAARC family. May SAARC and its peoples prosper.
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