1985 DHAKA SUMMIT AND SAARC : A BROAD OVERVIEW
Birth of SAARC
On 8 December 1985 when the Heads of state/govern-ment of the seven sister nations of South Asia signed seven copies of the Declaration and the Charter for the creation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), it became a red letter day in the history of the subcontinent, which has during the last four decades been clouded by intra-regional tension and mutual distrust among the ruling elites. The purpose of the present paper is to make an objective assessment of the imperatives of the regional cooperation among the developing countries in general and among the South Asian states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) in particular. In course of our enquiry, we will try to find some answers to the follow-ing queries which often haunt one's mind.
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First, why and how should the developing countries in different parts of the world, strive for cooperation among themselves in the socio-economic and political spheres? In course of their adventures, what major obstacle are they expected to face?
Second, even if South Asia has been recognized as a distinct geographical region since the World War II, how is it that it was so late to launch any viable scheme of regional cooperation? What were the psychological and political barriers for the nations of the region to come closer in the economic and cultural areas? Why and how did the late President Zia-ur-Rahman of Bangladesh set the ball rolling? How did the "step-by-step" approach conceived by him take nearly five years to bear fruits?
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And, finally the week long parleys in Dhaka (1-8 Dec-ember 1985) at the level of top bureaucrats and high ranking political leaders did succeed in heralding the birth of SAARC. But has it succeeded in removing the clouds of misunderstanding among the top actors of the region in the South Asian Drama.?
Need of Economic cooperation among Developing Countries
Most of the newly liberated countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America have faced tremendous difficulties in planning their development strategies because of a number of potential problems like population explosion, lack of technology and skilled manpower, low rate of growth, poor per capita income, galloping inflation, un-favourable balance of trade and low productivity, etc. Their problems are further accentuated due to lack of cooperation by the developed countries. In spite of several rounds of North-South dialogues under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Tariff (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Industrial Develop-ment Organization (UNIDO), one hardly notices any ray of hope for the developing countries. Major reforms in the world economy have been suggested by the well-known NIEO (New International Economic Order) resolution of the UN General Assembly in 1974 and thereafter reemphasized from time to time in the final declara tions of the Non-aligned summits and the meetings o the Commonwealth Heads of State/Government. But th developed nations have turned a deaf ear to such suggestions. Most of them have indeed taken recourse t several protectionist measures which have run contrary to the interests of the developing countries. Recently one finds a tendency among the most industrialize nations of the world (US, UK, West Germany and Japan to launch a movement for further safeguarding their narrow economic interest at the cost of poor nations.
North-South dialogue, several rounds of discussions have been initiated among the developing states for a more meaningful interaction among themselves. The major thrusts of the Group of 77 and the NAM have been to-wards the direction of South-South cooperation. It is quite relevant at this point to have a close look at the final report of the High Level Conference on Economic Cooperation Among Developing Countries (ECDC) arranged by the Group of 77 after its series of meetings between June 1980 and May 1981. The report, while emphasizing on the imperative need for regional cooperation among developing countries said in its intro-duction, "Amidst the difficulties and uncertainties ari-sing from the present world situation, this is an appropriate moment to renew, accelerate and strengthen cooperative efforts and solidarity among developing countries, based on mutual interest and a more rational use of available resources." Significantly enough, the Group of 77 reiterated its firm commitment to the principle of collective self-reliance and stressed that eco-nomic cooperation among developing countries is an integral part of the collective action of the Group for the restructuring of international economic relations. In its view, the current global economic crisis is "a reflection of the underlying structural maladjustment and persisting lack of equity in international economic rela-tions." The lack of progress in negotiations on the restructuring of international economic relations and the establishment of the New International Economic Order (NIEO) is due to the intransigent attitudes adop-ted by some developed countries, which have shown a regrettable lack of political will. Against such a back-ground, the report suggests, "it is all the more timely and necessary for the developing countries to strengthen the cohesion and solidarity among themselves. "While examining the scope of ECDC, the conference document highlights that "economic cooperation among the developing countries.
Sudhanshu Anirudh
Editor,
Credit ,: SAARC SUMMIT REPORT