COLOMBO, Aug 1: Terrorism, food shortages and poverty alleviation are likely to dominate the agenda of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit which begins here on Saturday.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived here on Friday leading a 32-member delegation to attend the summit. He was received at the airport by his Sri Lankan counterpart Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. Amid tight security arrangements, he was flown in a helicopter to the hotel where he will be staying.

Later in the evening, the prime minister called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Other leaders attending the summit are Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives, Nepal’s caretaker Prime Minister G.P. Koirala and Bhutan’s Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley.

Officials of the Saarc states have laid out an elaborate agenda which includes poverty alleviation, energy shortage, food crisis and the menace of terrorism afflicting the member countries.

However, diplomatic observers here said the biggest challenge for the leaders of the eight countries of the world’s most populous region would be to rid the organisation of the infamy of having become a mere talk shop.

A number of agreements are expected to be signed at the conclusion of the two-day meeting, including the charter of a $300 million Saarc development fund, charter for a regional standards organisation, convention on assistance in dealing with crimes and accession of Afghanistan to South Asia Free Trade Agreement.

Diplomatic analysts have expressed concerns that the talks would be affected by tensions between Pakistan and its two neighbours, India and Afghanistan.

But they regard the scheduled Saturday meeting between Prime Minister Gilani with his Indian counterpart, the first between the two, as an encouraging development which would help both countries to remove the misgivings that have marred their relations in the aftermath of last month’s blast at the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Mr Gilani would go to meet Prime Minister Singh in the evening after the inaugural session of the summit. The foreign ministers of the countries had earlier met on Thursday to prepare for the Gilani-Singh meeting.

However, no bilateral interaction is planned between Afghanistan and Pakistan, primarily because the former decided last month to pull out of all contacts after accusing Pakistan’s armed forces and intelligence agencies of fomenting unrest in Afghanistan.

Agencies add: Pakistan, a key supplier of small arms to Sri Lanka, has proposed a defence pact to boost military cooperation between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the offer to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollegama on the sidelines of a Saarc meeting in Colombo, Pakistani officials said on Friday.

“A (draft) defence cooperation agreement has been given to Sri Lanka,” said a senior Pakistani official.

“We want Sri Lanka to quickly move on that (the draft agreement),” he said, adding that the pact was intended to bring the two sides closer.

There was no immediate comment from Sri Lankan authorities on the Pakistani proposal.

TRADE WITH INDIA: Addressing a media seminar, Mr Qureshi said trade and cultural similarities are the best ways to improve relations between Pakistan and India.

“If the Berlin Wall can fall so can these troubles that we have that are keeping us apart,” he said.

“I think trade will build new bridges, which are so important between us. I say we have been looking at divergences, look at the convergences we have, look at the language, culture, dress,” Mr Qureshi said at the seminar also attended by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.