Kathmandu, Dec 15: Combating terrorism, including stopping the movement of illegal funds, and adoption of Safta Treaty will dominate the agenda of the 12th Saarc Summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in January next. Saarc Secretary General Q A M A Rahim told reporters that though the regional body has already adopted a convention on combating terrorism, efforts will be made during the summit to include an additional protocol to stop illegal movement of funds and financing terrorism.

Besides terrorism, poverty alleviation, trade liberalization and cooperation in social areas will be the major areas of focus during the next summit, he said. The regional poverty profile has already been completed as per the responsibility shouldered upon the Secretary General by the 11th summit in Kathmandu and it will be presented during the Islamabad summit for approval, Rahim said.

The transition from South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) to South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) will be the major thrust of the 12th summit, he said expressing optimisim that the summit will unanimously adopt it. He said that the draft treaty framework of Safta will be finalized during the commerce minister-level meeting to be held in Islamabad prior to the summit and the foreign secretaries will put their signature on it to finalize the treaty in presence of the heads of states and governments during the summit.

The summit will also decide on the time frame for implementing the Safta Treaty framework, he added.

Bureau Report