Some thoughts on today's retreat

However, if this 13th summit is to be considered a success in the final analysis, it will have to go further than agreements reached and protocols signed on a half dozen stray issues, albeit issues of importance.

What is needed is a new sense of ownership for the process of regional cooperation on the part of the seven heads of state and government, and it is at the closed-door retreat at the Jamuna State Guest House today that the heads can demonstrate such a sense of ownership and commitment, and breathe new life into Saarc.

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The first item that should be on the agenda, and one that would demonstrate the seriousness of the commitment to the organisation by the heads more than any other, would be for them to agree to greatly enhance and empower the Saarc secretariat.

The Saarc secretary-general needs to be given the equivalent rank of a cabinet minister, and he or she needs to be given the resources both in terms of manpower and financing and logistical and technical support that a truly effective and powerful regional organisation that represents the interest of 1.4 billion people merits.

In addition to this, we would urge the heads to devolve further decision-making power and authority to the ministerial level meetings held under the auspices of Saarc and also to further empower the programming committees. Essentially, the need is for the organisation to emerge from this 13th Saarc summit with a clear mandate from the heads, and the tools with which to implement this mandate.

Most importantly, the heads themselves need to commit to meeting every six months or so for informal business discussions that are without the trappings and formalities of the official summits. In the centralised culture of South Asia, if Saarc is to be revitalised and empowered, this will only happen with impetus from the top.

What we hope for from today's retreat is frank and open discussion in the spirit of solving problems and moving the process of regional cooperation forward. The focus, above all, must be on taking the hard decisions and taking responsibility for ensuring that decisions once made are carried out.

The people of South Asia have been waiting for an active and effective Saarc for far too long.