MALE, May 10: The crucial meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) foreign ministers which began this morning to work out a concrete agenda for the summit meeting begining on May 12 concluded here without any hitch much ahead of time.

The two-day meeting ended one day ahead of schedule to allow informal consultations between the ministers. Moreover, the ministers would also be busy receiving their heads of state who were arriving tomorrow.

India was represented by Minister of State for Commerce B B Ramaiah, who formally presented India's proposal to speed up trade and economic cooperation between member nations on the lines of the European Economic Union. The issue of sub-regional co-operation between India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh which threatened to cast a shadow on the summit due to objections raised by Pakistan and Sri Lanka was finally put to an end with both Pakistan and Sri Lanka expressing satisfaction over discussions.

Reiterating Pakistan's objections to the sub-regional grouping, Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan told newsmen that India and three of its neighbours which were working out some projects among themselves could do the same on a bilateral basis without involving SAARC.

Any exclusive arrangement between themselves under the aegis of SAARC would end up giving the feeling that they were attempting to exclude Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

With this proposal accepted, he said the problem has been sorted out. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgammar, who had expressed reservations about `sub-regional co-operation' between the four countries on the eve of the summit also said the issue has been sorted out amicably and the summit would go on smoothly.

The Indian officials said the controversy over the sub-regional grouping had been amicably sorted out to the satisfaction of all members.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.