Islamabad: South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Foreign Secretaries today (Dec 31, 2003) struggled to iron out differences over definition of terrorism and on a draft treaty that would pave the way for free trade among the seven member-countries.

Meeting in Islamabad to work on the agenda for the three-day summit beginning here on January 4, Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank and his counterparts discussed a number of key issues such as enhancement of trade, finalisation of SAARC social charter, intra-regional strategy for poverty alleviation and fight against terrorism.

Briefing the media on the deliberations of the first day of the two-day talks of the SAARC Standing Committee meeting chaired by Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar, Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan admitted differences among the member-countries on the issue of finalisation of the framework treaty on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) to promote intra-regional trade.

"There are residual differences among the members on concessions to be accorded to the Least Developed Countries. Hopefully they will be resolved," he said while referring to the demands made by Bangladesh to give more time to it and other smaller countries to implement the SAFTA provisions.