Beijing: Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali today (Apr 24, 2004) mentioned Kashmir among issues that were of utmost concern, saying the world was facing the danger of terrorism and regional conflicts while old disputes remain unresolved.

"Of utmost concern is the globalisation of terror, unresolved crisis in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Korean peninsula as well as the long-standing questions of occupation of Palestine and Kashmir," Jamali said in his keynote speech on the opening day of the second annual conference of the BOAO Forum for Asia in BOAO city in the island province of Hainan.

"We are going through a difficult phase. Today we face the danger of terrorism and new regional conflicts while old disputes remain unresolved," he said at the two-day conference.

He stressed that economic development was essential for peace and stability in the region. "Collective efforts are required to ensure that no region, especially in our continent suffer economic regression and decline," Jamali said.

He also mentioned the holding of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit in Islamabad in January, which proposed the establishment of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

This, he said was a significant milestone towards mutually beneficial economic cooperation in South Asia.

It will bring to the fore the huge market potential of South Asia, which if properly connected to the rich energy resources of West Asia and a fast developing East Asia, would make Asia a global economic force, Jamali said.