Assistance Treaty to be finalised in Saarc - Indian FM

INDIA: A convention on mutual legal assistance in tackling crime is likely to be finalized at the forthcoming Saarc summit, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Thursday, according to the Indo-Asian News Service.

Speaking at a seminar on South Asian Economic Integration, the minister pointed out that the recent terror targeting the Indian embassy in Kabul showed “how vulnerable South Asia continues to be to terrorism.”

“We have initiated discussions on a draft convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. This will enable us to implement action against such crimes in the neighborhood with regional cooperation,” said Mukherjee.

He added that the discussions “will be finalised at the forthcoming summit”, referring to the 15th Saarc(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka next week.

Earlier, he said India had kept the commitment of “moving Saarc from declaration to implementation”.

He asserted that India would transfer the entire amount of 100 million U.S. dollars voluntary contribution to the Saarc Development Fund within this year.

On July 7, a major suicide bomb blast at the Indian embassy in Kabul killed at least 40 people, including two Indian diplomats.

New Delhi, Friday, Xinhua