The Hindu : Front Page : SAARC delegates hail peace process

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007
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SAARC delegates hail peace process

Staff Correspondent

Objective is to form a South Asian Parliament

SHIMLA: Although India and Pakistan delegations, comprising members of parliaments from different political parties, could not make much progress on the contentious Kashmir issue, delegates from the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries largely welcomed the peace process between the two and unanimously adopted "Shimla Declaration" with a vision of cooperative, equitable and strategic understanding and inching towards an eventual objective of forming a South Asian Parliament.

While formally announcing the adoption of the declaration here on Monday, Secretary General of SAFMA (South Asia Free Media Association) Imtiaz Alam and president K.K. Katyal said though some "additional proposals" were moved by the expert committee of MPs from the two countries the plenary conference put that "on hold" and the talks could not go beyond what was agreed upon earlier.

The SAFMA, which has successfully organised a conglomeration of MPs representing all shades of opinion and had a backing of 50 political parties from the region, reached a consensus on a number of issues.

The leadership of SAARC nations valued the present peace initiatives and declared that the present exploration of all options for a final settlement of the Kashmir question in an atmosphere free of violence, terrorism and normalisation of bilateral relations while implementing all the earlier joint statements, should put in place a comprehensive regime of CBMs that will ensure a tension free subcontinent.

Talks with Bangladesh

They also endorsed the demands of India and Pakistan for negotiations with the other nuclear weapon powers to promote global non-proliferation and effective nuclear disarmament. An exercise of composite dialogue like one that has gathered momentum between India and Pakistan should also be initiated between India and Bangladesh, said the resolution.

In its most important move the conference has proposed creation of an Intra-Parliamentary Union in South Asia, activation of SAARC Speakers' Forum and setting up of a South Asian Parliament as a deliberative and consultative body.

For achieving this it has proposed to make a commission with four MPs each from member countries of SAARC to be nominated by the heads of leading parliamentary parties and two experts from SAFMA.

The commission will be constituted under the patronship of India's Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and will meet periodically said Mr. Katyal.

The conference unanimously agreed on the effective implementation of SAFTA, creation of a South Asian Monetary Union, better water management, and making a South Asian Energy Grid.

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