23 October 2007: New Delhi
India on Thursday offered to provide assistance in strengthening the SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) and SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) located in Sri Lanka.

The assistance to strengthen the infrastructure of these desks was offered on the concluding day of the three-day SAARC home ministers’ conference here, Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told reporters.

He said that implementation of the SAARC regional convention on Suppression of Terrorism and Additional Protocol and SAARC convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was reviewed at the meeting, which felt the need for pro-active and sustained measures and mutual cooperation to combat these menace.

Regarding the proposed SAARC convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, Gupta said it was agreed that the process should be accelerated and legal advisor's from member nations should meet before April next year to examine the draft of the convention.

The conference also decided to increase the frequency of the meeting of police chiefs' (intelligence chiefs') to twice a year from the present annual meetings.

The next meeting of the police chiefs' will be held in Islamabad in February 2008.

Islamabad will also host the third SAARC home ministers Conference next year, while the fourth one will be held in Male, Gupta said.

Source: The Economic Times