Summitry and chemistry

Even before the preparatory talks took off, there was an air of expectation about the 12th SAARC Summit, a presumption that it would be more...

Even before the preparatory talks took off, there was an air of expectation about the 12th SAARC Summit, a presumption that it would be more successful than previous ones. For one, there has never been such a friendly atmosphere preceding any SAARC summit in the recent past; and Prime Minister Vajpayee8217;s natural proclivity to move boldly beyond barriers put up by regional or bilateral differences has only added to the air of cautious optimism. Moreover, there is a growing realisation among all the member countries that with the rest of the world moving towards cooperation in all spheres, including in the areas of terrorism and greater economic and cultural linkages, the region can afford to lag behind only at its own peril.

Determined to make this summit a success, Islamabad has been making all the right noises, even promising not to bring up the Kashmir issue and to be 8220;constructive and supportive8221; on issues such as terrorism. Unfortunately, sharp differences did arise among the members of the programming committee, as the host country sought to dilute the language of the paragraph on terrorism in the draft declaration. Still, expectations continue that something concrete will emerge, particularly in the area of economic cooperation. As Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank said before crossing into Pakistan, 8220;We have to be united against terrorism8230;.and for free trade. We have to be united for better economic cooperation.8221; Among the items that are expected to be taken up on a priority basis is the thorny issue of the finalisation of the draft pact on regional free trade, which has eluded agreement thanks to differences between India and Pakistan, with the latter insisting on linking trade with the resolution of the Kashmir issue. But with Pakistan8217;s foreign secretary8217;s recent statement that Islamabad was no longer averse to free trade with India through SAARC, and that his country was committed to the regional free trade process or SAFTA, there is hope that there will be some positive developments on that front, including an expectation that Pakistan may grant India the most favoured nation status as required under regional preferential trade SAPTA.

That said, the onus of making the summit a success, however, will eventually rest on the ability of the leaders of both these countries to rise above their traditional suspicions of each other. They must adopt a more magnanimous approach so as to allow all member states to work together to develop their socio-economic and political potential to the fullest. SAARC is not a forum for airing bilateral differences, and it would indeed be a pity if once again it was held to ransom to the stated and unstated hostility between two of its most important member-states.