By Harris Bin Munawar South Asian diplomacy, THE FRIDAY TIMES

Leaders from eight South Asian countries met in Maldives for a summit on regional cooperation; bridges were built between rivals in some cases, but gaps widened in others

Leaders from eight South Asian countries agreed to liberalise mutual trade as they met in Maldives earlier this month for a summit dedicated to "building bridges".

"Let us not be held back by history or convention," said the president of Maldives, who was also the chairman of the 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit. "Let us change our region for the better. Let us be the leaders our people want us to be. Let us just change the world."

Although bilateral issues are never on the agenda, bridges were indeed built in some cases during the two-day conference. In other cases, gaps between untrusting neighbours widened.

India was not comfortable with the inclusion of China as an observer. Backed by Pakistan, China wants a greater role in South Asia, possibly even a SAARC membership. In what was called a "charm offensive", the Chinese delegation led by vice foreign minister Zhang Zhijun wooed other participants with gifts as it lobbied behind the scenes for a separate conference between China and SAARC.
Manmohan Singh called Gilani a "man of peace"; the two leaders vowed to write "a new chapter" in troubled mutual ties


Pakistan supports China's involvement in the region to counter the increasing influence of rival India, especially after the inclusion of Afghanistan as a full member of SAARC in 2005. Kabul and New Delhi are seen as allies and it was India that had taken the initiative in Afghanistan's entry into the group.

A meeting between Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the sidelines of the summit did not end on a good note. Karzai "bombarded us with a number of demands laced with accusations" an unnamed Pakistani official told Dawn newspaper. "The meeting took place in a highly tense atmosphere as the Afghan president was not in a mood to listen to anyone. Frankly speaking, Prime Minister Gilani was taken aback because he had expected a friendly gesture from the Afghan president."

But Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Gilani a "man of peace" in another meeting at a seaside beach cottage. In 30 minutes of delegation level talks and 45 minutes of one-on-one negotiations, the two leaders vowed to write "a new chapter" in troubled mutual ties. "The destinies of people of India and Pakistan are very closely linked," Singh told reporters. Gilani said the next round of talks would be "far more productive, far more result-oriented in bringing the two countries closer to each other than ever before".

Things between Bangladesh and Pakistan soured briefly during the summit when Pakistan took up the issue of Dhaka's objections in the WTO on European trade concessions to Pakistan. India and Pakistan both suspect Bangladesh is playing second-fiddle to the other since 1978 when Bangladesh proposed setting up a regional cooperation conference. India and Sri Lanka had also initially objected to the concessions that will help Pakistan recover from the economic setbacks of last year's devastating floods. "Of course, we are very concerned about it," Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in a statement. But the two countries worked their differences out. "We have been conveyed by them," Khar said, "that it was at best an accident."

Participating countries signed four key deals - on setting up a seed bank, on rapid response to natural disasters, and on conformity assessment and implementation of regional standards.

A 20-point declaration at the conclusion of the summit stressed commitment to free trade, alleviation of poverty, and people-centred sustainable development.

Member countries vowed to cooperate against threats from terrorism, climate change, drug and weapon smuggling, organised crime, and maritime piracy in the region.

"For too long, South Asia was considered a sideshow in the theatre of global politics, but today we occupy the centre stage," the president of Maldives said in a speech. "The eyes of the world are upon us," he said. "This is our time to shine."