SAARC should adopt joint counter-terrorism strategy: Lanka

New Delhi, Apr 3: Sri Lanka today appealed to the SAARC forum to work jointly on a counter-terrorism strategy for the entire region and implement the provisions of the international agreements on terrorism-related matters with sincerity and dedication.

''Terrorism anywhere is terrorism and is a global menace. Unless we act collectively as a region, trans-border terrorist groups will find safe havens in other parts of the region,'' Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said on the opening day of the 14th SAARC Summit here.

He said no country could sustain itself and flourish without addressing the need to maintain security, and could afford to limit its resolve to the eradication of terrorism to a mere subset of national security.

''Modern day terrorists operate in a multi-dimensional fashion.

They operate politically, militarily, financially and ideologically,'' he said and called for a multi-pronged strategy to curb the menace, including choking their sources of sustenance.

Drawing the attention of other SAARC members to the recent attack at Katunayake airbase by the LTTE, he said the region as a whole was not safe from the barbaric terrorist groups.

''I wish to appeal, therefore, to this august forum to work jointly on a counter-terrorism strategy for our entire region, to defeat terrorism.'' The Sri Lanka President said his government had placed great emphasis on eradicating terrorism and making his country a safe place for its people.

''It is not lost on us, however, that terrorism, whilst needs to be suppressed, also has to be grappled with on a political platform.'' He also drew attention to the poverty seriously affecting the SAARC region and the significant disparities in GDP, income levels and natural resources, and urged the forum to adopt a resolution to work with dedication to uplift the quality of life of people in rural areas.

''Undoubtedly, this summit must resolve to improve the indices relating to poverty within the next three years, through positive and fast action,'' he said.

He also stressed the need for implementing the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) within a strict timeframe to make the whole of South Asia one massive region for enhancement of trade.

''We must have a region-centric approach to make SAFTA work in a real sense and give it effective force,'' he said.

Mr Rajapakse, who is attending the SAARC summit for the first time as Sri Lankan President, also supported the proposal of a South Asian university that would work towards promoting a common identity and a sense of togetherness within the SAARC region. ''This university need not be confined to one country.We need to ensure that learning is borderless and that any student in any of our countries could benefit out of this unique initiative.'' Regretting that tourism had not been fully tapped and developed systematically as one of the most lucrative trades in the region, he said the governments should find new avenues to develop inter-regional and intra-regional tourism in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner.

''More intra-regional travel will promote people-to-people contact we have advocated for so long,'' he said.

Touching upon human rights, he said: ''We, in our region, will continue to protect and advance human rights, including economic rights, despite having to struggle with differences and the poverty left behind by centuries of colonial domination.'' Pointing out that human rights had been part and parcel of the great cultural tradition of the sub-continent for millennia, he referred to the edicts of Emperor Asoka scattered around the sub-continent.

Fully subscribing to the values of SAARC, he asked the member nations to be action oriented rather than dependent on rhetoric.

UNI