SL President leaves to attend SAARC Summit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 16:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse left Colombo Sunday evening to India to attend the fourteenth SAARC summit to be held on April 3, and 4 in New Delhi, sources in Colombo said. Afghanistan is to be given official recognition as the eighth member of the SAARC at this summit. Other seven member-states are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, ministerial level observers representing countries, USA, Japan, China, and South Korea and the European Union (EU) are also to attend the plenary and closing sessions of the SAARC Summit.

Each observer will give a four-minute speech on April 3 at the Heads of State meeting, sources said.

US is likely to be represented by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher, and the EU by its New Delhi based envoy.

Meanwhile, Chine Foreign Minister Li Zhaixing, Japanese Foreign Taro Aso and South Korean Foreign and Trade Minister Song Min are due to arrive in New Delhi on April 2, sources said.

Foreign Secretary level meeting was held Saturday and Foreign Minister level was on Sunday