Currently, Australia, China, European Union, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Myanmar and the US are observers in the regional organisation.

During 15th summit in Colombo, the member states had agreed and approved the guidelines for cooperation with observers. The summit had also decided to impose a moratorium on the admission of new observers.

With the observer’s growing interest, the organisation has decided to create a demarcation on what kind of support it should accept, said an official privy to the Saarc process.

A four-day meeting is scheduled to be held from August 29 in Kathmandu to discuss the rational and role of observers’ engagement as well as the future of 11 Saarc regional centers. Sources said China is seeking dialogue partner status in Saarc as the country already has similar arrangement with Asean. However, no decision has been taken on the matter. China has extended assistance worth US $ 2 million for Saarc to execute various projects. Likewise, South Korea has been offering various courses for officials at Saarc Secretariat and Japan as well as the EU too are keen to assist the regional grouping. “However, we do not have clear benchmark to accept such support. That’s why the Saarc may come up with some concrete ideas on this issue this time,” an official said.

“The Saarc secretariat has prepared a report after consultations with the member states by evaluating the activities of the regional centres. We will make a final call on the issue based on the report,” said a Nepali official who will attend the meeting.

TIA VVIP room to get facelift

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is set to give a facelift to its VVIP room in order to welcome the dignitaries for the upcoming Saarc summit. Officials at the international airport say most of the exteriors of the structure will be revamped by mid-November. According to Babu Ram Poudel, senior engineer of the Civil Engineering Division at the TIA, the tender has already been called to decorate the structure. “The existing structure will be painted and the roof will be replaced,” Poudel said. “We also plan to change the windows to get a better view,” He added. Similarly, the interior is will also be decked up with new curtains and carpets. The TIA has estimated a maximum budget of Rs 4.4 million for the purpose. The VVIP room is used for welcoming Presidents and Prime Ministers from other countries and also used by Nepali President and Prime Ministers while travelling abroad.

Officials inspect City Hall repair

Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) Secretary Santaraj Subedi along with other concerned stakeholders inspected the ongoing work to revamp the City Hall, the venue for the upcoming Saarc summit to be held in November. During his field visit, Subedi inquired about the progress in refurbishing and constructing additional components at the hall to give the structure a new look by the first week of November. Subedi directed the authorities involved in revamping the City Hall to finish the work within the given deadline.