They all agree: no room for terror, need to unite

SAARC leaders today called for resolute action to battle terrorism, saying efforts should be redoubled to maximise regional cooperation ag...

SAARC leaders today called for resolute action to battle terrorism, saying efforts should be redoubled to maximise regional cooperation against the menace.

Fresh from an offensive against ULFA militants on its soil, Bhutan pointed out that the assassination bids on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf were another ‘‘rude reminder’’ of the lack of will to stamp out the menace from the region.

‘‘While we take comfort in the failure of the attempts on the life of President Musharraf, we cannot but see it as yet another rude reminder of our lack of will to root out the menace of terrorism,’’ Bhutan’s Prime Minister L Jigme Y Thinley told the inaugural session of the SAARC summit. Nepal’s Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, referring to the bids on Musharraf’s life, said terrorism continued to haunt the region yet member countries were ‘‘very slow in regional cooperation.”

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All SAARC leaders welcomed the adoption of the additional protocol to the 1987 convention on suppression of terrorism, saying it would bring the bloc in line with international efforts to combat terror.

Prime Minister Vajpayee said the protocol ‘‘significantly updates’’ the 1987 convention while Pakistan Prime Minister Jamali called it a ‘‘further manifestation of our determination to remove the sources of terror from our region.’’

Begum Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh said the attempt on the life of Musharraf for the second time showed the extent and unpredictability of the threat.

‘‘In this backdrop, our summit assumes special significance. We must chart a realistic and forward-looking course,’’ she said.

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President Gayoom of Maldives said terrorism and drug trafficking could cripple any nation: ‘‘We should breathe new life into the regional conventions on terrorism and on drug trafficking to enable our region to effectively deal with these transnational threats.’’