THE SAARC!
The South Asian Association For Regional Co-operations.
The heads of Bangladesh, Bhutan , India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives met at Dhaka on December 8,1985, and formed the south asian association for regional cooperation, for short SAARC. They adopted a charter for regional cooperation among their countries. The seven countries pledged to pave the way for peace, stability and prosperity in south asia.
Lt. Gen. Ershad, President of Bangladesh,was elected chairman. The members of the saarc agreed that they would have a permanent secretariat, but they could have a temporary secretariat at Dhaka. Their foreign ministers would discuss the establishment of a permanent one later on.
The saarc charter provided for a council of ministers to formulate policies and review the progress of cooperation. It will meet twice every year. The chart provided for a standing committee of their foreign secretaries to submit periodic reports to the council of minister. The standing committee will meet whenever it is necessary to do so. There will be technical committees to assist it.
The declaration of the saarc members expressed alarm at the deterioration of political situation and at the arms race between the power blocks. They appealed to the power blocks to enter into a test ban treaty to stop the testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons. The committee reaffirmed its belief in the continuing validity and relevance of the NAM objectives. Besides the members decided to utilize the natural and human resources of their countries to enhance their collective self-reliance. They were convinced that they could jointly influence international issues and decisions.
The members discussed the deteriorating economic and social conditions in south asia and in the developing countries. They reaffirmed their commitment to the U.N charter. They decided to consolidate and expand cooperative efforts, on the basis of equality. To assist the least developed among the developing countries, they wanted a ministerial level meeting and asked the standing committee to call for a meeting of the technical experts.
The second meeting of the SAARC members was held at Bangalore in November,1986. Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi of India was its chairman. The summit decided to allow tourism and an exchange of scholars and volunteers for rural work. A documentation centre would be opened to get up-to date information on technical, scientific and development matters. The members expressed their concern over the nuclear arms race, the tension caused by the super power rivalry in the Indian Ocean and called for an end of all nuclear tests.
The permanent secretariat of the saarc was opened at Kathmandu in January, 1987. The third summit meeting of the saarc nations was held at kathamandu in November,1987. Nepal was in the chair. The heads of the seven nations again showed their anxiety over the deteriorating world situations and decided to work for the total nuclear disarmament. They launched the preliminary arrangements for trade and industrial cooperation as well as for the protection of the environment. They agreed to have a saarc food security reserve. They also agreed to increase their powers to tackle disasters.
Thank you,
R.Rajkumar.
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