Indian Foreign Sec on terrorism, Sri Lankan Foreign Sec on fighting

Описание: (2 Apr 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Pan over South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Foreign Ministers meeting
2. Afghan delegation
3. Mid of meeting's chairperson
4. Pakistani delegation
5. Wide of briefing by Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon
6. Journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Shivshankar Menon, Indian Foreign Secretary:
"It (terrorism) is a very important problem. It is crucial that we address it, that we deal with it and I would expect the summit to reflect that importance, in the strength of the statement that it makes."
8. Wide of Afghan President Hamid Karzai seated with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
9. Pan from Karzai to Singh
10. Afghan officials
11. Wide of media briefing by the Sri Lankan delegation
12. Cameras
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Palitha Kohona, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary:
"We all talk about the ceasefire. For the LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tigers Ealam), the ceasefire was only an excuse for (sic) build up their resources, regroup and get ready for the next phase of the war and in fact that it what we are going through now. So, unfortunately, we are confronted with a situation where we have a terrorist group which is intent on using the ceasefire for its own benefit."
14. Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh Fakhruddin Ahmed seated with Singh
15. Mid of Ahmed
16. Bangladeshi officials
17. Indian officials
18. Photographer
19. Wide of meeting
STORYLINE
The foreign ministers of eight South Asian nations met on Monday, to prepare for a regional summit beginning on Tuesday in which terrorism will be a key topic.
Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters terrorism was a "very important for problem" for India, Sri Lanka and other members of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, or SAARC.
"It is crucial that we address it, that we deal with it and I would expect the summit to reflect that importance, in the strength of the statement that it makes," said Menon.
India and Sri Lanka have been battling armed insurgencies for decades, while officials in Afghanistan say Taliban militants are orchestrating attacks from Pakistani territory, a charge Pakistan denies.
The SAARC comprises India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - home to one-fifth of the world's people and many of it's most impoverished.
Afghanistan was inducted into the group on Monday, a move that would bring the South Asian nations closer to Central Asia, India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
The grouping was set up in 1985 to promote economic cooperation.
Progress, however, has been slow mainly because of rivalry between India and Pakistan.
The foreign ministers finalised agenda for the summit to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The agenda items include cooperation against terrorism, the establishment of a South Asian university and a regional food bank, and implementation of a regional free trade agreement, officials said.
Member countries earlier ratified a SAARC Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, and agreed on an additional protocol in 2004 about action against financing of terrorism.
Sri Lanka asked member-countries to coordinate efforts to fight terrorism.
Tamil Tiger rebels have stepped up attacks on Sri lankan military in recent months even as government forces have been assaulting Tamil positions in the east of the island.
Last week the Tamil Tigers launched their first-ever airstrike, bombing an air force base on the outskirts of the capital.

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