"The whole idea is to synchronise the development plans in a way that we all have basically more or less the same goals, just as we have in the case of the UN Millennium Development Goals," said the adviser at his hotel suit in New Delhi on the eve of the 14th Saarc summit, which starts today.

He said Bangladesh is heading into the summit to mainstream the Saarc Development Goals into national policies by establishing 'total political understanding' among the member countries.

The adviser said, "There are 22 Saarc Development Goals and we like these goals to be in the mainstream of regional and national policies of the member states."

"We have traditionally been conservative about aims and goals of Saarc. Because we have not looked to achieve major objectives, but we have sought to approach our aspirations gradually," he said.

Iftekhar said the development aspects of Bangladesh include poverty alleviation, spread of education, women's empowerment, food security and health issues.

He said it is imperative that Saarc nations find an 'equilibrium' between the differences and the similarities they have within themselves.

Iftekhar, attending his first Saarc summit, said Dhaka aims to press Saarc for the benefit of the 'common men and women' of South Asia, because, "That was really the main goal in the first place when Saarc was envisaged. It is going to be the people's Saarc."

"Some may argue that enough has not been achieved," he said, adding it is time to consolidate whatever has been achieved and to do that, "You have to do it incrementally, you should achieve small things, consolidate them and move ahead."

To materialise the aspirations of Saarc he said, "It is essential to have total understanding in the political arena of the member countries. It will be Bangladesh's endeavor not only to develop its own good relations with member states, but also to assist in the development of such relationship among the other countries."

"Saarc comprises countries for whom it is an intellectual challenge whether to emphasise the commonalities or to emphasise the distinctiveness," he said, adding that an equilibrium between the two is the essence of Saarc.

Asked how Safta can be made more beneficial to Bangladesh through removing non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, he said "India and Pakistan are bigger in terms of size, population and resources. As they grow, it is only natural for us to grow with them."

"It is now possible within the Saarc framework," he asserted.

Giving the example of India's cumulative trade gap with Bangladesh he said the removal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers would establish the positive public mode to help achieve other multilateral aspirations.

When asked if Saarc can circumvent the India-Pakistan political deadlock to become more effective, Iftekhar said, "Diplomacy does not reap quick benefits," adding that the relationship among the Saarc countries needs to 'evolve' and gather strength.

"Look at Germany and France, they have come from animosity half a century ago, to having friendly relations and building the EU together," he said, adding, "There is absolutely no reason why the same should not be the case among the bigger powers in Saarc."

On the issue of counter-terror cooperation during the summit, Iftekhar said, if action is required multilaterally, "Bangladesh will certainly support any initiatives in this regard."

Regarding connectivity, which has been at the forefront of India's proposals in pre-summit meetings, Iftekhar said, "This is an area in which we must approach in a way that will benefit simultaneously all the constituents of Saarc."

He said although there are "different but not necessarily contradictory ideas" about how this might be achieved, but "We all agree at the end that it is important to be connected."