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Friday, Nov 14, 2008
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Call for early conclusion of free trade pact

Sandeep Dikshit

BIMSTEC finalises agreement on combating global terrorism, drug trafficking

— Photo: S. Subramanium

Setting agenda: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his counterparts from Nepal and Bhutan, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley (left) at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Calling for early conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA) to step up economic activity among the seven member countries, the second summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) agreed on a pact on combating terrorism.

Besides the pact on “combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking,” the leaders also finalised agreements on promoting exchanges in three areas – weather, culture and energy. In order to accelerate cooperation in these areas, it was decided to set up a weather and climate centre in India, a culture industries observatory in Bhutan and an energy centre in India.

A bridge

Describing BIMSTEC as a bridge between South Asia and South East Asia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered to extend information sharing and data sharing from its Tsunami Warning Centre with other member countries. Another idea discussed was pooling part of resources to set up a food bank which could be drawn upon by countries in need.

“Considerable progress has been made in the negotiations on the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement for trade in goods. The early conclusion of such an agreement would be a shining symbol of our cooperation. We also look forward to the next stage of an agreement in the area of investment and services,” observed Dr. Singh.

At a joint press conference with the other six leaders, Dr. Singh said BIMSTEC has decided to concentrate on 13 sectors on a priority basis. “We have lead countries for all the sectors. Increase in cooperation will promote balanced growth of all countries, particularly meeting the need of small countries,” he observed.

Policing the sea

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa referred to the arms and ammunition routes through the Bay of Bengal and the need to clamp down on gun and drug runners.

“I urge you to consider setting up a mechanism to effectively police the sea of Bay of Bengal to deny these terrorists mobility and connectivity.”

Formed in 1997 by four countries – India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka – it was joined at the first meeting by Myanmar. At its first summit in Thailand in 2004, Nepal and Bhutan also joined BIMSTEC, making it a seven-member organisation. While summit meetings have been scarce, the organisation has held 10 ministerial meetings besides several at the level of senior officers.

The second summit here also saw leaders concurring on the need for a comprehensive review of activities, beginning with a blueprint for the future activities. The areas identified should have the maximum potential for producing visible results and strengthen BIMSTEC, they felt.

The summit agreed to focus on enhancing rail, road, air and shipping links to further promote people-to-people contacts and facilitate cultural exchange, business and tourism flows.

The leaders also took note of the BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Study (BTILS) conducted by the Asian Development Bank. The study could be an “important first step in identifying the bottlenecks and suggesting ways to overcome them,” said a joint declaration at the end of the summit. The study was commissioned following the recognition that improved transportation and communication would lead to direct benefits to the people.

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