South Asian leaders who began their two-day summit in Colombo yesterday were unanimous in their resolve to combat the scourge of terrorism.
The first plea to redouble the efforts for “collective action” came from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, now Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC). He told the 15th summit at BMICH it was important to remember “the element of inter-dependence” that was crucial for durable peace and protection of human values.
He pointed out that “no country in the SAARC region” had been spared of the plague of terrorism. An example that it could be eradicated, he said, was his Government’s liberation of the Eastern Province from Tiger guerrilla stranglehold.
“Restoring democracy there has helped the Sinhalese, the Tamils and the Muslims to live together and seek common goals of progress and prosperity. That was under an elected Chief Minister from a minority community and former child soldier.”
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| President Mahinda Rajapaksa shakes hand with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before SAARC leaders posed for the group photograph at the BMICH yesterday.
RPic by Gemunu Wellage |
SAARC’s outgoing Chairman and Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh cautioned that “terrorism continued to rear its ugly head in our region.” He said it remained the biggest threat “to our stability and to our progress” and warned that “we cannot lose the battle against ideologies of hatred, fanaticism and against all those who seek to destroy our social fabric.”
Pointing out that “terrorists and extremists know no borders,” Dr. Singh said “the recent attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul and the serial blasts in Bangalore, Ahmedabad in the past weeks were gruesome reminders of the barbarity that still finds a place here in South Asia.” He appealed to SAARC leaders to “defend the values of pluralism, peaceful coexistence and the rule of law.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed Pakistan’s “gratitude” to Premier Singh for “providing excellent leadership to SAARC during the past year. He said the world is facing “menace of extremism and terrorism” that has “challenged the entire value system and impacted on socio-economic development.”
Though Pakistan has suffered most, he said, “terrorism afflicts all countries of our region.”
Pointing out that “it is our joint responsibility to rid our region of this scourge,” Mr. Gilani said “we need to fight terrorism individually as well as collectively.” He said the meetings of SAARC Police chiefs and Home-interior Ministers in Islamabad later this year should focus on strengthening regional co-operation against terrorism.
Afghanistan’s President Hamid
Karzai reminded that his people were bearing the brunt of international terrorism on a daily basis. “It is with tremendous trepidation that we are watching the wildfire of terrorism spreading across the region.”
He charged that in Pakistan, terrorism and its sanctuaries were gaining a deeper grip, as demonstrated by the tragic assassination of “Shaheed” Benazir Bhutto. “The indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Colombo earlier this year, the recent terrorist bombings in the Indian cities in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, and attacks in Kabul were yet other grim reminders of the growing reach of terrorists across the wider region,” he said.
He noted that “terrorism in our region feeds on a residual tradition of narrow-minded politics, and of pursuing outmoded geopolitical interests. While existing on the absolute fringes of our tolerant and peace loving societies, terrorists in our region receive institutional nurturing and support. It is this embedded nature of terrorism that makes it a much more sinister threat to our common security, and to the future of our children.”
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said it was important to undertake all collective efforts to combat the scourge of terrorism.
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