Saarc will not discuss any bilateral issues

COLOMBO, July 23: Pakistan has failed in its attempt to get contentious bilateral issues incorporated in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SAARC agenda as the draft declaration of the forthcoming summit makes no mention of any such issue. At the same time, it affirms India8217;s position that sub-regional cooperation agreements are not violative of the association8217;s charter.

A special envoy of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently toured Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to canvass for setting up a mechanism under which bilateral issues could be discussed at the SAARC summit. As of now, SAARC charter prohibits discussion on bilateral issues at the summit.

The draft declaration of the tenth summit beginning on July 29, has laid stress on acceleration of economic cooperation and the need for quot;firm collective responsequot; by the seven-member organisation to resist quot;discriminatoryquot; norms of the World Trade Organisation.

The document, circulated by host Sri Lanka, emphasises onquot;sub-regional cooperationquot;, an issue which became contentious during the last summit at Male when Pakistan and Sri Lanka expressed reservations about India working out a separate agreement on power and water sharing with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.