BANGLADESH: South Asian media conference opens: Morshed says, "Think beyond state barriers"

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh calls for more interaction between South Asian regions

The Daily Star
Saturday, August 21, 2004

A three-day regional conference of South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) kicked off in the city yesterday with Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan calling on media professionals to think beyond state barriers and interact with their regional peers to strengthen the Saarc process.

"They [the media] often become captives to 'too much attachment to national interests'," observed Morshed speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the conference at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. "The media must be able to shake off their own 'barriers' first, so as to help others to overcome their 'mental barriers'," he pointed out.

Safma President Reazuddin Ahmed, also the president of Jatiya Press Club, chaired the opening session of the three-day meet themed on 'Regional Co-operation in South Asia' and participated by over 200 media professionals including 35 from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Morshed Khan reiterated "the need for objectivity and professionalism on the part of the media at a time when we look up to them as a partner in governance and also a vehicle to enhance accountability and transparency."

"There cannot be any compromise [on the issue of a responsible media]. This is our demand to Safma," said the minister who would be the next chair of Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) Council of Ministers.

He informed the congregation of editors and senior journalists that the last Saarc Council of Ministers in Islamabad had decided to confer upon Safma the status of a Saarc recognised body.

Morshed also stressed the need for creating a South Asian identity, saying, "The greatest challenge before us is to think of South Asia in the singular sense of identity that it connotes in terms of culture, tradition and intrinsic humanity."

"We are bound not only by geography but a special ethos and sense of belonging. The role of the media to create an enabling environment to foster this identity cannot be overemphasised," he said.

Speaking on regional co-operation, the minister called for removing all prejudices and preconceived notions to make Saarc more effective, noting, "Though somewhat belated, South Asian countries have also started to veer around the idea of meaningful regional co-operation."

Expressing satisfaction over the credibility and confidence the Saarc has been gaining, Morshed said the core task would be to find regional focus on important areas of co-operation in poverty alleviation, healthcare, investment, environment, multi-modal transport and energy, among other sectors.

Without naming India, the foreign minister deplored imposition of non-tariff barriers and insidious bureaucratic restrictions that he alleged impeded the process of building mutual trust and confidence for greater economic co-operation and integration.

In the session, eminent economist Rehman Sobhan presented an overview of regional co-operation in South Asia, in which he emphasised accelerating trade integration among the Saarc countries and integration of regional infrastructure.

Sobhan said governments in the region should discuss and make co-ordinated efforts to strengthen communications, harmonise standards of customs procedures and bring in greater co-ordination between the central banks with a view to arrive at common positions.

Speaking on South Asian Free Trade Area (Safta), Sobhan said India must make the deepest concessions to the least developed countries of the region with a negative list principle to accelerate the agreement.

Preferring a final agreement to be made by the next Saarc summit, Sobhan said for investment, co-operation needs to be underwritten by financing through a prospective South Asia Development Bank.

Prescribing an approach of open regionalism where borders and nationality do not hold back people-to-people interaction Sobhan said he hopes a final agreement on the Safta would be made by the next Saarc summit.

Indian High Commissioner (HC) Veena Sikri, Sri Lankan HC Gamini Sarath Munasinghe, Nepalese Ambassador Bhagirat Basnet and Pakistan Deputy HC Shahid MG Kiani also spoke on different aspects of Saarc co-operation.

Safma Secretary General Imtiaz Alam of Pakistan and Safma Bangladesh Chapter Secretary General Zahiduzzaman Faruque also spoke at the function.

Date Posted: 8/21/2004