Can't Give Any Deadline for SAARC Summit, Says Nepal

Kathmandu: Nepal's foreign minister on Thursday said it was not possible to give a deadline by when a decision on the SAARC summit could be taken.

Speaking to CNN-News18 Nepal's foreign minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said, "Even a change in venue would not serve the purpose as there was bitterness among India and Pakistan and SAARC operates by consensus and agreement".

He also said that onus of creating the right atmosphere was on Pakistan as it was the host country. Nepal which is the chair of the SAARC summit had postponed the SAARC summit scheduled in Islamabad following boycotts by India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Nepal's foreign minister said that ever since the postponement of the SAARC Summit, efforts had been made to build consensus among nations.

Speaking about the consultation process Mahat said, 'Nepal had tried to speak to Pakistan and even other SAARC nations during the BIMSTEC and BBIN meetings in Goa but all nations felt that the atmosphere was still not conclusive to hold the summit".

Mahat's statements are significant as they come at a time when Pakistan is regularly provoking India at the border.

The foreign minister made it clear that stopping cross border terror is a pre-requisite for peace and cooperation in South Asia.

Reiterating his governments stand on terror Mahat said, "We condemn all forms of terror, be it attacks on India or on Pakistan. No country should protect terrorists or allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities".

The foreign minister defended the SAARC summit saying it's wrong to call it a failure but at the same time hinted that its time to strengthen other regional groupings like BIMSTEC(Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal). This is a point that was also made by the Bangladesh envoy to India in the wake of postponement of SAARC.

Mahat said his government would again review the regional sentiment in a few months to see if the SAARC summit could be held.

For the moment Pakistan wants the summit to be held in Islamabad itself and till all countries agree on the venue, holding the summit is just not possible.