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 India’s position that sub-regional cooperation agreements are not violative of the association’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 "firm collective response" by the seven-member organisation to resist "discriminatory" norms of the World Trade Organisation.

The document, circulated by host Sri Lanka, emphasises on"sub-regional cooperation", 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.