India plays dirty over Saarc role for China

Consensus over inclusion of
Afghanistan as eighth member


DHAKA: Pakistan said on Friday it was fully backing the requests of Afghanistan and China to be associated with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) even as disagreements within the existing member states clouded the outcome of the final decision on the issue.

On the eve of the 13th Saarc summit here in the Bangladesh capital, Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan told journalists that Pakistan had circulated the requests by Afghanistan and China to the six other member states, but some delegations had raised a few technical issues.

The matter was discussed by the standing committee comprising senior officials, which had recommended it to the council of ministers. Afghanistan has formally moved a request to be inducted as the eighth member of the regional grouping. Its application is strongly supported by Pakistan and India, and it was widely believed that a consensus would be arrived among the existing members to accept Afghanistan’s request.

China has also expressed a serious interest in becoming an observer or a dialogue partner with Saarc, but no consensus has emerged on its case. The Pakistani foreign secretary refused to name the country opposing China’s case, saying it would amount to a breach of confidentiality, but privately officials have said that India has raised the main objection against China.

The other six members are supporting China getting the status of an Observer or a dialogue partner. Khan said some delegations proposed that the cases of Afghanistan and China be linked. There was also an observation that proper guidelines should be formulated by the organization to deal with these cases.

However, Pakistan believed that if a consensus could be reached, a decision could be taken, and guidelines and criteria could be formulated at a later date. This applied to both Afghanistan and China.

"There was a good deal of discussion on this," he said. The tussle over Afghanistan and China has become the latest contentious issue within an organization, which has a history of getting bogged down in disputes.

Established in 1985, Saarc has till now not expanded beyond its original seven members - Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives. According to the Saarc charter, all decisions have to be taken by consensus.

If Afghanistan is admitted as the eighth member, there will have to be a slight modification in the charter, and the logo of the organisation will also need to be re-designed. The Pakistani foreign secretary said if a consensus was reached on Afghanistan, changing the charter and the logo "should pose no difficulty". Saarc has been wracked with many problems, most of which are rooted in the smaller states’ grievances against India.

The inclusion of China into the organisation — if and when it happens — is seen by most member states as a counterbalance to India’s presence and influence on the organisation. Analysts also say China could displace India as the most powerful and influential state within Saarc, which is why India is vehemently opposed to China’s candidature for observer status.

China for its part has been making the right noises in reference to Saarc. "We have taken note of the upcoming (November 12-13) meeting of the Saarc (in Dhaka) and wish it full success," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters in Beijing, Indian media Thursday reported.

Since its establishment over 20 years ago, Saarc has played an important role in the economic and social development in the region, Liu commented. "As a friendly neighbour of the Saarc countries, we sincerely hope that it will achieve greater success in the process of regional cooperation," he said, adding that China is willing to cooperate with the Saarc to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation and common prosperity.

Source:http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/nov20...main/main2.htm