Joint declaration for inclusion of services in Safta

As yet another summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) wound to a close, the hunt was on for a few concrete outcomes from the annual event. Trade, despite the lack of forward movement on differences with Pakistan on the South Asia Free Trade Association (Safta), appeared to be a big gainer. The joint declaration, called the Delhi Declaration, stated that trade in services be included in Safta, and the agreement on services be finalised at the earliest.

To aid this economic connectivity, the Saarc declaration talked of a "harmonization of customs procedures, technical and phyto-sanitary standards and their implementation in a trade friendly manner."

Environment also appeared to get more attention than the big issue of South Asia, terrorism. Four sectors have been identified in the Delhi declaration for "project based approach" for cooperation and joint work. These are water, including flood control, energy security, food security and environment. According to Pranab Mukherjee, projects relating to these issues will be discussed in detail in the next Saarc ministerial meeting to be held in November.

The operationalisation of the $ 300 million Saarc development fund and an agreement on a Saarc food bank and a multi-campus Saarc university were one of the few concrete outcomes of the summit. A village in member state to be developed as a model Saarc village and connecting two hospitals from each Saarc country to super speciality hospitals in India has also been proposed.

The issue of terror, which formed the major part of each Saarc leader's speech at the inaugural, figured at the end of the declaration and that too without any strong words or message. Previous commitments on fighting terror and its financing was emphasised rather than any new initiative. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee insisted that terror was very much on the agenda of Saarc and said that a proposal mooted by India on a Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters had been noted and Sri Lanka had agreed to host a meeting to develop a legal framework for the convention.