We were able to activate non-functioning SAARC: Speakers

Colombo, Mar 31 (UNI) The Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians here today said they were "able to activate the non-functioning SAARC.'' ''We were able to activate the SAARC, which was just there without functioning, in addition to fixing the schedule for the annual conferences till 2010," Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, W J M Lokkubandara told reporters at the end of their three-day deliberations.

Asked whether the conflicts in the member states were discussed in their fourth conference, the Speaker said this issue remains out of the purview of the SAARC charter.

''According to our charter, all the countries should come to some sort of unanimity with regard to the topic we discuss, but that was lacking with regard to this particular topic Mr Lokkubandara said.

Endorsing this view, visiting Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charnjit Singh Atwal, pointed out that they "do not discuss internal issues of member countries.'' ''We only discuss the problems faced by the SAARC countries,'' Mr Atwal said.

Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui, Deputy Speaker of the Bangladesh legislature, said that he has proposed some common problems faced by the region to be discussed at the SAARC level.

''We have proposed some topics such to be discussed of common interest for our regional cooperation. We proposed formation of a team to supervise on drug abuse, human and child trafficking and HIV aids,'' he added.

Others, who attended the conference included Deputy Speaker of Pakistan Parliament, Sardar Muhammad Yaqub, Speaker of Bhutanese Parliament Dasho Ugen Dorje, Speaker of Majlis of Maldives Ahmed Zahir and, Speaker of Nepalese Parliament Taranath Ranabhat.

A seven-member Indian Parliamentary delegation, led by the Mr Atwal attended three-day deliberations. The delegation comprised three MPs, Mr Prasanna Acharya, Dr K Malaisamy, and Dr Karan Singh Yadav, and Secretary General of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Mr P D T Achary.

The Indian delegation will visit the historical sites of Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa before returning home on Monday.

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