Prime Minister I K Gujral at the Delhi airport before boarding the aircraft that took him to Male for the SAARC summit.

MALE, May 11: India today achieved a major diplomatic victory when foreign ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) brushed aside Pakistan's objections and endorsed the formation of sub-regional grouping between New Delhi and three of its neighbours.

The foreign ministers, who adopted the agenda for the Ninth summit of SAARC Heads of State and Government beginning here tomorrow, refused to accept the reservations expressed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka that such a grouping could undermine the 12-year old association and could lead isolation of its other members.

The ministers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives ruled that the member states were free to pursue sub-regional economic development in the core sectors independently of their cooperation within the framework of SAARC.

``It has been agreed among the member countries that the SAARC charter has permitted regional cooperation among some of the member-states in view of problems existed between those countries,'' Maldives Foreign Minister Fathullah Jameel told newsmen at the end of the two-day SAARC ministerial meeting.

The decision vindicated the stand taken by India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan that their growth quadrangle of cooperation in specific projects in water resources and energy will serve as a ``building block'' for sub-regional cooperation which will accelerate regional cooperation.

The growth quadrangle will constitute an additionality to, and not be a substitute for, bilateral, regional or multilateral cooperation, the four members of the sub-regional grouping told the SAARC council of ministers.

Pakistani delegation led by Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan did not hide its unease over the proposed growth quadrangle and its discomfort was reflected when Ayub told newsmen after the meeting that SAARC should avoid regional cooperation among themselves.

Sri Lanka objected to the grouping saying the four countries had not followed the required procedures under the SAARC charter which called for the sub-regional group to inform the SAARC before launching it.

Commerce Minister B B Ramiah, who led the Indian delegation, clarified that the growth quadrangle was still at the proposal stage and the first meeting of its foreign secretaries was held in Kathmandu on April 2, 1997.

``As and when the proposal was concretised, the four nations would certainly inform the SAARC," he said.

Meanwhile Prime Minister I K Gujral, who arrived here today said that the economic agenda with a need to impart extra momentum to the poverty eradication initiatives will dominate the summit.

Gujral will hand over the SAARC chairmanship to the host Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at the inaugural ceremony marking the end of India's two years of SAARC leadership.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.