A Summit of promise
There is a heightening expectation that a positive change is
coming over SAARC affairs as the regional grouping meets for its 14th
Summit in New Delhi today. To begin with, Indo-Pakistani relations have
steadily improved in the recent past and this happy trend paves the way
for increased regional cooperation.
Thus far, it has been tense Indo-Pakistani ties which have
constituted the main stumbling block to enhanced regional economic and
other forms of cooperation.
However, beginning 2004, India and Pakistan have made a concerted and
unprecedented effort to improve inter-state ties and this could have
spin-off benefits on the region as a whole. It has been highly
gratifying to note that the countries have not allowed terror attacks
within their borders to dampen their ardour for improved ties. Terror or
no terror they have been bent on improving their bilateral links.
These positive developments have not been lost on the world and this
too is a gratifying matter. It should be regarded as singularly
important that five global economic players, China, the EU, Japan, South
Korea and the US, will be attending the Summit in the capacity of
observers. What this proves is that the SAARC region is increasingly
winning the attention of the prosperous sections of the world community.
Perhaps, now, SAARC could enter more closely into the synergies of
growth of the global economy. We call on SAARC to seize these
opportunities to advance collectively on the road of economic
advancement and to make the poverty which is so stark in the region, a
past and closed chapter in its history.
For Sri Lanka, though, elimination of terror would be as important as
economic growth and poverty alleviation. SAARC would do well to realise
that it could not remain complacent about the persistence of terrorism
in the South Asian region. Big or small, most SAARC states are afflicted
with terror and the earlier a giant collective effort is made to end
terror, the more the menace would remain among us.
As Lankan Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona has pointed out, the
global as well as regional legal instruments to fight terror exist. But,
South Asia has not been proactively involved in using these instruments
to fight terrorism on a collective basis. As a result - but not only as
a result of it - terror has been flourishing.
The recent LTTE air attack on the air base in Katunayake bears this
out. While the region has been taking things easy, the LTTE has been
adding to its deadly arsenals.
It would be very shortsighted to believe that LTTE terrorism is a
problem for Sri Lanka only. The LTTE's reach is enormous and it is
collaborating actively with terror groups all over South Asia and
outside.
This is the reason why SAARC has to address terror with renewed
vigour. Lack of progress and development fosters political terrorism.
There is no denying this. But uncontained terror puts a halt to and
stymies development as well. This aspect of the problem too needs to be
addressed and we hope the current SAARC Summit would work out a
collective strategy to end the terror blight.
As the Lankan Foreign Secretary has cautioned, we need to look
closely at terrorist financing - which is a widespread phenomenon.
Today, the LTTE's funding sources are so variegated that they cannot be
smashed without the collaboration and support of friendly governments.
Let us hope the SAARC Eight would prove friends indeed. |
Fight against terrorism, key topic at SAARC
The fight against terrorism will be a key topic
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