14th summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation is to be held on Tuesday Mar 3rd in New Delhi.

South Asia is a poor region in which one fifth of the world population live. The Summit was formed 22years ago to ensure economic development and trade in this region in the Delhi Summit conference. It is significant that Afghanistan is enrolled as a 8th member.

There is another significance of the present Summit in Delhi, since China, EU, Japan, South Korea and the United States have gained observer status and will send representatives for the first time this year.

What has the SAARC comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan achieved?. The SAARC officials have confessed that they have failed to achieve anything meaningful. They have also stressed that SAARC should implement certain proposals effectively.

There is a pre-condition that the SAARC meetings cannot discuss

bi- lateral issues between member countries. As a result of disputes between Indian and Pakistan, two strong member countries, the SAARC conference had to be postponed several times. SAARC leaders make use of this conference to meet and discuss the problems among their countries.

It must be said that the SAARC has failed to deliver any goods meaningfully. Will the leaders of the SAARC countries, who meet in New Delhi, approach the problems in the region with far-sight and meaningfully.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

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