4 October 2016 06:40 pm Views - 6078
Mr. Wickremesinghe's remark assumes significance as Sri Lanka was one of the five SAARC member-states which sided with India in pulling out of the summit scheduled in Islamabad on November 9-10 over an attack on an Indian army base in Uri on September 18 by Pakistan-based terrorists, PTI said.
Delivering a lecture on 'Sri Lanka and its Place in the World" at the New Zealand Parliament House in Auckland on Monday, the Premier has said that following the Uri attack, the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad has been postponed.
"This year's SAARC Summit is in jeopardy due to the war prevailing on the border. However, as the SAARC plays an important role, carrying out the Summit is a matter of great importance," he said.
"I explained that while the failure of SAARC to deliver acceptable results for all members would spell out a bleak future, it would also compel Sri Lanka to look towards other viable options," he said.
He, however, did not elaborate what he meant by "other viable options" but had said it was "imperative" that Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations work together to improve regional cooperation.
Mr. Wickremesinghe recalled the 1985 SAARC Summit when Sri Lanka proposed countering border terrorism as an issue, but he rued it was ultimately not agreed upon due to disagreements among member-states.
He sought a simple plan from SAARC members which could be agreed upon to move forward in the light of the situation.