Afghanistan enters SAARC with 53-point Dhaka Declaration

Kathmandu Nov 14-The 13th SAARC summit has decided to include Afghanistan as a new member and China and Japan as observers. With the entry of Afghanistan, the number of SAARC members reaches eight.

Though recognition in principle as been given to Afghanistan as a new member and to China and Japan as observers, formal procedures in this regard will be completed after the twenty seventh SAARC ministerial level meeting, which takes place in Dhaka after six months, approves the proposal.

China has long been showing interest to become an observer at SAARC. Nepal forwarded a proposal in this regard at the summit that concluded on Sunday after issuing a 53 point declaration.

In the 53-point Dhaka Declaration, adopted by the 13th SAARC summit that concluded in Dhaka on Sunday, the heads of state or government of SAARC region have reiterated their commitment to the realisation of the vision of South Asian Economic Union in a phased and planned manner.

They agreed that as SAARC completed its 20 years existence, it was an opportune occasion to draw a roadmap for regional cooperation in South Asia for the next decade. In view of the new challenges facing the region, pledges and commitments made in the last two decades should be translated into concrete actions in the form of regional projects and programmes and innovative initiatives.

In the Dhaka Declaration the SAARC leaders directed the early finalisation of unsettled issues including implementation of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) with effect from January 1, 2006
The declaration said the launching of SAFTA would mark an important milestone on the road to a South Asian Union.

The 8-page Dhaka Declaration said that the leaders had agreed to adopt common measures to combat terrorism in the region. The 13th SAARC Summit ratified the additional protocol to the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism by all member states. The SAARC heads of states called for putting in place an effective mechanism for its implementation. "The SAARC strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and agreed that terrorism is a challenge to all states and a threat to all humanity, and cannot be justified on any grounds. The leaders of SAARC underlined that there should be no double-standards in the fight against terrorism," said the Dhaka Declaration.

The South Asian leaders in the declaration recalled their commitment to making SAARC as an effective instrument for cooperation which would visibly improve the quality of life of millions of people in the region. They also reiterated their commitment to protect interests of the small countries

The South Asian leaders took a fresh vow to make the SAARC dynamic and implement programmes in the current decade to bring about a qualitative and positive change into the socioeconomic condition of 1.5 billion people in the region.

The SAARC leaders also welcomed the signing of three agreements The Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters, The Agreement on the Establishment of SAARC Arbitration Council and The Limited Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters
The Dhaka Declaration also included the recommendations on the international political and economic environment. The SAARC leaders directed the commerce ministers to hold consultations on the sidelines of the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled to be held in Hong Kong in December 2005 for evolving a common SAARC position for issues of common trade concerns.

The SAARC leaders agreed that SAARC Poverty Alleviation Fund (SPAF) would function within the South Asian Development Fund (SADF) to be reconstituted, as SAARC Development Fund to serve as the umbrella financial institution for all SAARC projects and programmes, comprising of three windows - social, infrastructure and economic windows - with a permanent secretariat. The already offered funds by India for SPAF would now be channelized to SADF.

SAARC also decided to study the Indian proposal for daily air-service facility by designated airlines on a reciprocal basis without prejudices to existing rights, to all SAARC member states.

In the wake of Indian ocean tsunami and the South Asian earthquake, the SAARC leaders felt the need for countering and managing natural disasters in a more effective manner. In this regard, the Dhaka Declaration endorsed the decision of the special session of the SAARC environment ministers to further enhance the capacity of the existing SAARC institutions, namely the SAARC Meteorological Research Centre and SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre to carry out their mandated task. Both these centres will be established in India on the priority basis.

The South Asian leaders also addressed the question of electing the Secretary General of the UN in 2006, being aware of the unanimous view that the well-established principle of geographical rotation should be observed and that an Asian should be appointed as the next Secretary General of the UN. It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka has already offered a candidate.

In the Dhaka Declaration, the SAARC leaders welcomed the joint statement of the first SAARC energy ministers meeting held in October, 2005 in Islamabad and agreed to the recommendation to the setting up of SAARC Energy Centre in Islamabad to promote development of energy resources. They also underscored the need for constitution of South Asian Energy Dialogue process involving experts of the region.

The SAARC member countries welcomed the preparation of a strategy for collective SAARC response to prevent the spread of AIDS/ HIV in the region. They also welcomed the Declaration of the Special Session of the SAARC Environment Ministers in Male in June, 2005.

The Dhaka Declaration stressed the need for undertaking necessary measures through collective efforts to combat drugs and women and child trafficking in the region.

The 13th SAARC Summit has decided to launch a Regional Environmental Treaty among the member states to enhance cooperation in the environmental field.

For enhancing political-level cooperation, SAARC leaders reiterated their commitment to the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and national independence, non-use of force, non-intervention and non-interference in the affairs of other member-states.

The Dhaka Declaration has also envisaged more people-to-people contact, and has declared 2006 as South Asian Tourism Year. Special emphasis has also been made on the early establishment of the SAARC Cultural Centre in Kandy, Sri Lanka, according to media reports.