KATHMANDU: The Joint Secretary-level meeting for the preparations of the final draft on the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) concluded here today with the consensus of giving it a final shape in the next meeting.
The next round meeting will be held from December 27 in Kathmandu.
Today’s meeting zeroed in on issues related to the internal arrangement and the objecitve of SAFTA.
“Major issues such as – trade liberalisation, safeguard measures and rules of origin are yet to be discussed,” said Purshottam Ojha, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Industry Commerce and Supplies.
According to Ojha, representatives from all the member states are positive to give a final shape to the draft. He said, “Most probably the draft would get a final shape before the 12th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad in January.”
The SAARC leaders during their 11th summit held in Kathmandu in January this year had proposed to prepare the final draft of the SAFTA for discussion in the next summit.
The member states had discussed ways in building a regional economic regime like that of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), North Atlantic Free Trade Arrangement (NAFTA) and the European Union as directed by the SAARC Council of Ministers’ meet held in August.