India, Pak favours SAARC Observer status to Iran

New Delhi, Mar 31: India and Pakistan are both in favour of Iran getting Observer status in SAARC.

A senior official of the Pakistan High Commission here said Islamabad would ''welcome'' Iran getting the Observer status.

India had earlier this week described Iran's application for Observer status as a ''positive deveopment.'' The issue would be discussed by the SAARC Foreign Ministers when they meet here on April 2 for the 28th Session of the Council of Ministers to finalise the agenda for the two-day Summit on April 3-4.

It would also be discussed at the Summit of Heads of State/Government.

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said Iran's application for Observer status had been circulated to all the member states.

It would be considered because everybody would have to agree on it.

He said it would be considered first at the Council of Ministers and then at the Summit itself if the Council of Ministers approved.

He, however, said that so far no public position had been taken because India would assume the Chairmanship of SAARC at the 14th Summit to conduct the discussion on the issue.

''So, we do not want to take a position and then we have to be neutral as Chair. But, as India, we like the idea actually of more involvement in SAARC by our friend,'' he added.

Afghanistan will be admitted to the Grouping as the eighth member during the Summit.

For the first time, the US, EU, China, Japan and South Korea will attend the Summit as Observers.

UNI