Foreign Secretaries of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations agreed on issues such as food security, greater cooperation in combating terrorism and the SAARC Development Fund (SDF), Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said on Wednesday.
"We discussed the issue of food security in view of the looming global food crisis, and the regional cooperation in tackling terrorism where more work is now needed," Kohona told reporters atthe end of the two-day session of the 35th SAARC standing committee.
SAARC officials also agreed on the setting up of SDF of 207 million U.S. dollars, Sri Lankan official Grace Asirwatham said.
An ad hoc Indian contribution of 100 million dollars would boost up the fund to 307 million dollars.
The SDF will serve as the umbrella fund for all development activities among the regional member states.
Kohona also said the foreign secretaries agreed on issues to betaken up at the Foreign Ministers' deliberations scheduled on Thursday and Friday.
The Foreign Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan arrived on Wednesday to attend the meeting while rest of the foreign ministers were due late on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry officials said.
The SAARC summit began here on Sunday with a 2-day meeting of the senior foreign ministry officials of the eight-member nations.
The Heads of Government summit would be held on Saturday and Sunday amid unprecedented security measures seen in Colombo.
Source:Xinhua
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