Islamabad, July 11 (DPA) Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday called for a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute with India as a precondition to fully exploiting the economic potential of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Addressing a meeting of the region's finance ministers here, he said SAARC had the potential to become one of the major global economic centres.
'For this to happen, South Asia needs peace, South Asia needs stability, South Asia needs cooperation,' Aziz said.
To achieve 'durable peace' in South Asia, Aziz called for a 'just' settlement of the Kashmir dispute that is central to the peace process known as the composite dialogue Pakistan and India began in February 2004.
'Success of this peace process will help in improving the atmospherics and augurs well for the region in bringing new synergy to SAARC,' Aziz said.
SAARC groups Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives. At its last summit in Dhaka, SAARC agreed to grant Afghanistan full membership, besides giving observer status to China and Japan.
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