BANGALORE, India: Leaders of seven South Asian Nations, observing a truce on bilateral conflicts, open a two day conference here on Sunday to strengthen a Fledgling Regional Group.

Indian officials said the summit on November 6and I7isexpected to announce an institutional framework for SAARC (South Asian. Association for Regional Cooperation) .

SAARC, which groups Indi Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, ‘was launched at Dhaka last December. The organization bars bilateral disputes from its agenda.

The seven leaders, representing more than one billion people, about a quarter of the World’s population, will set SAARC on a firm footing by announcing a permanent secretariat based in Kathmandu and naming a secretary general, expected to be a Bangladeshi, the officials said.

But they cautioned against expecting too much too soon from the regional body amid the political problems confronting the subcontinent.

“The building up of cooperating on specific issues may ultimately help to resolve political problems between SAARC members,” an Indian Foreign Ministry official said.

‘The summit will bring together for the second time in a year the kings of Nepal and Bhutan, the Presidents of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives and the Prime Minister of India and Pakistan.

Meeting in a former Maharaja’s marble palace, now used as a state legislature in this south Indian city, the leaders are expected to devote their time to regional issues.

They will also discuss specific programs in fields such as child welfare, health, the war against drug trafficking, and cultural development, agreed over the past year by SAARC’s ministerial and official groups, officials said.

The summit will also move towards establishing regional research centers for agriculture, meteorology and telecommunications and postal services, they added.

In five days of talks leading up to the summit, foreign ministers and officials from the seven countries will try to resolve thornier issues such as terrorism and a boost for the almost negligible trade within the region.

‘The officials said some members, divided by bilateral suspicions, differed sharply over the definition of terrorism.

Issues like the granting of asylum country to rebels from a neighbouring state have often strained links between SAARC nations. Relations have also soured over border disputes, ethnic violence and charges of arms buildups.

“The mutual suspicion is a major blockade in developing a more ‘meaningful regional cooperation in trade, industrial collaboration and financial flows,” one diplomat said.

‘When SAARC was mooted by Bangladesh six years ago, it was expected 10 resemble the six nation ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations). Which ‘mainly aims at promoting regional economic co-operation .

But the progress has been slow because smaller nation’s in the subcontinent fear their economics would be swamped if they agreed to give preferential treatment to goods imported from bigger neighbours.

“Frankly, we have not gone so far as to discuss trade related sues. It will be a significant achievement even if we agree to start considering them,” an official said.

Outside the formal summit, some leaders will hold talks on crucial bilateral problems.

Sri/Lanka President Junius Jayewardene will meet Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to discuss the island’s ethnic violence as well as a Colombo peace plan opposed by Tamil guerrillas based in South India, officials said.

Gandhi is also scheduled to discuss worsening ties with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo.

India was accused Pakistan of aiding Sikh militants campaigning for an independent homeland in Punjab state Islamabad denies the charge.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 14, 1986