Bangladesh to group SAARC against Terrorism

New Delhi, Apr 3: Bangladesh today urged the SAARC grouping to take bold steps to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and build a South Asia free from the chains of poverty and hunger.

Addressing the 14th SAARC Summit here, Bangladesh Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed also called for lowering of tariffs in the telephony sector, uniform fee for all SAARC tourists at heritage and archaeological sites, and immediate collective action for the conservation and utilisation of ''our shared environment''.

He also proposed a more elaborate SAARC scholarship programme for the youths in ICT and bio-sciences in which India would play a leading role.

''It would be impossible to realise our dream of a prosperous South Asia without addressing the security concerns of regional countries,'' he said and added that the root causes that led to violent actions should be addressed.

He said the first-ever meeting of the SAARC Home Ministers and Secretaries in Dhaka last year was a significant step in that direction.

Expressing confidence that the full implementation of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) would pave the way for further integration of the region's economies, he said: ''To optimise the potential of SAFTA, we must pursue trade facilitation measures and address the non-tariff barriers.'' Strongly supporting the establishment of a South Asian University, he said it should be designed in such a way that it was inclusive and participatory, benefiting all member states.

The Bangladesh Chief Adviser also proposed the holding of SAARC youth camps each year to bring young people closer, and offered to host the first such camp this year. On environmental degradation, Dr Ahmed referred to global warming, salinity and severe arsenic contamination in ground water in some parts of South Asia.

''The lives and livelihood of our peoples are adversely affected because of these looming environmental crises. Bangladesh, therefore, urges immediate collective action and stronger regional cooperation for the conservation and utilisation of our shared environment.'' To make 'people-to-people connectivity' in the region more meaningful, he said, intra-regional tourism could play a useful role.

The strengthening of Track II process among the civil society of the region would also help buttress the network of linkages, he said.

''Our goal is to build a South Asia which is free from the chains of poverty and hunger, where people would take pride in justice and the rule of law, where determination and deprivation are long forgotten, where virtue prevails over vice, and where knowledge continues to advance and inspire social progress,'' he said and added that such a vision was captured by Rabindranath Tagore in his poem 'Gitanjali' decades ago.

UNI