Saarc summit opens amid tension in region
Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh opened the summit of Asian leaders
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Saturday, 02, Aug 2008 10:14
Asian leaders are meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, today for the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).
Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has opened the 15th meeting of the organisation which aims to promote cooperation between countries in the region. However, a series of rows between the country and its neighbour Pakistan threaten to derail any progress made at the meeting.
The two rivals, who have fought three wars against each other, have exchanged stern words over the past few weeks.
Yesterday, Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menion said ties had not been this poor for the last four years, adding that the two countries were meeting against the backdrop of "unfortunate" events.
Last week, shots were exchanged between troops on the disputed border between the two countries. Each side then accused the other of violating the terms of the ceasefire accord by crossing into rival territory.
India has also accused Pakistan's secret service of supporting a terrorist attack on its embassy in Afghanistan which left 41 people dead. Pakistan denied any involvement of its Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency in the attack and dismissed the Indian claims as baseless.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in December 1985 by the leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.