KARACHI: SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry has demanded the member nations to remove Non-tariff barriers and adopt adequate measures for trade facilitation, which will foster the trade in the South Asian region. President SAARC Chamber, Tariq Sayeed stated while addressing Committee on Economic Cooperation (CEC) of SAARC at New Delhi, India on behalf of the Private Sector of South Asia, the information received here on Wednesday. He said that the business community of South Asia was committed to promote agenda of economic liberalisation in South Asia and urged for a de-linking of economic activities from political apprehension. He suggested for adoption of workable economic diplomacy to defuse political tension in the region. President SAARC CCI was of the opinion that implementation of SAFTA would require signing of various agreements, MoUs and protocols including framework agreement on mutual recognition of certification, laboratory testing and standards a motor vehicle agreement, customs cooperation and harmonisation agreement and transit-transport cooperation agreement. Sayeed said that SAARC countries should adopt a regional investment protocol to promote and protect intra regional investments and joint ventures in South Asia and urged upon the need for signing double taxation avoidance treaty. He identified some non-tariff barriers in the region including quantitative restriction, import through state trading enterprises, restricted port of entry, tariff rate quotas, health and sanity regulations (quarantine fees), restricted port of entry and inland customs port, antidumping and countervailing duties, customs valuation, import monopoly etc; stating that these NTBs had been impeding the free flow of trade in the region. He requested for removal of non-tariff barriers to the maximum level. He urged upon the need for adopting Trade facilitation Mechanism and implement SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Plan, Open sky policy, mutual recognition of standards, the adoption of common tariff nomenclature, the harmonization of customs and offered for organizing Public-Private Dialogue on Trade facilitation wherein leading businessmen from the region and esteemed Commerce Secretaries can sit together and devise out a workable mechanism. He demanded for increase of Visa Stickers from 100 to 300 for each member state of SAARC and proposed issuance of 5 years multiple Indian visas, free from police reporting and city restriction for 500 Businessmen from each of SAARC member country based on reciprocity.

staff report

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Source: www.dailytimes.com.pk