The new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) spoke to Himal editor Kanak Mani Dixit soon after assuming office.
- Do you feel confident about taking up this new South Asian assignment?
Reasonably so. I have handled South Asian and multilateral work and was actually the first director general of the new multilateral and South Asia desk when it was set up at the Sri Lankan foreign ministry. Both in that position as well as in assignments to the Untied Nations in New York, I have had the good fortune to work with my counterparts from all the other South Asian countries, and to immerse myself in the issues of the region. 1 had also been to all the capitals in the course of my work.
• As you come in, what are the trends you detect in the working of SAARC?
To begin with, as a delegate I used to be on the 'other side' and critical of the organisation for its obvious drawbacks. Now that I am within the system, I am able to discern the various challenges it faces. These are being addressed. Overall, there are clear signs that SAARC is maturing.