Foreign adviser holds talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart

DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 30 (BSS) - Visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama today said SAARC, comprising one fourth of the total global population, is presently the largest regional
organization in the world.

The Sri Lankan minister was talking to journalists after his
meeting with Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury at the
state guesthouse Padma.

Bogollagama arrived here Saturday night to hand over formal
invitations to Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed on behalf of
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and to Dr Ifterkahr Chowdhury on his
own behalf to attend the 15th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held
in Colombo in August.

"I have already handed over the invitation to the foreign
adviser," the visiting minister said.

During the meeting, they discussed about the contents of the
forthcoming SAARC summit.

Bogollagama handed over to the foreign adviser a proposed
draft of the Declaration likely to be issued in Colombo following
consultations.

He said the forthcoming Summit is on the line of partnership
of South Asian countries where connectivity and partnership in
different areas would come up for discussion.

Bogollagama said the key areas of the Summit will seek to
find a new dimension of food security, sharing resources and
alternate sources of energy which "we are facing acutely."

Dr Iftekhar said "Our goal is to make it peoples' SAARC as it
does not belong to the government only but to the people of the
region".

Later Dr Iftekhar hosted a luncheon at the state guesthouse
in honour of the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and members of Sri
Lankan delegation.

Bogollagama will leave here tomorrow for Kathmandu to invite
Nepal to the Summit. BSS/1320gmt