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News analysis: SAARC undergoing growing pains
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-01 11:19 The SAFTA is widely considered as one of the concrete steps taken by SAARC to promote trade cooperation in the region. However, it has still not come into force because some members have not given a final ratification of it. Actually the SAARC member countries can not reach a consensus easily when their differences outweigh their common interest. India is most powerful in the region and other member states are no rival to it in terms of economic and political influence in the world. The imbalance of power among the organization will, to a great extent, hamper the development of SAARC because small countries are wary of the dominance of India in the region, a study published by Stanford Journal of International Relations said. The relationship between India and Pakistan plays a crucial role for regional peace and stability. Their relations have undergone ups and downs despite the composite dialogues between them. The Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fires around on the Line of Control just two days before the commencement of the summit. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart and said at a news conference on Thursday that the two countries should stop finger pointing and let ceasefire continue.Analysts said SAARC could barely gain ground as long as the suspicion among its members prevailed. The countries in the region have to make every effort to consolidate political stability, leaving the SAARC irrelevant in a sense. Talking to Xinhua on Wednesday, a Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry official, on condition of anonymity, said that people should not expect much from SAARC Summit. "Although little progress has been made in terms of implementation, each SAARC summit witnesses a step forward," he said, adding that the transformation of SAARC was under way. |
