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          BANGKOK, July 31: Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia today (Saturday) proposed cooperation in six key areas, including communications and energy, for the economic benefit of 1.3 billion people under BIMSTEC representing seven South and Southeast Asian countries, report agencies.
"I believe that BIMSTEC should aim at equitable growth of our economies. Our strategies should be supportive of the growing sectors, particularly those facing the challenges of globalisation," she said in her speech at the first ever summit of the sub-regional grouping in Bangkok.
Leaders of Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and host Thailand also attended the opening ceremony, held at the Vithes Samosorn Hall of the Foreign Ministry, calling for tapping the growing economic potential of Asia.
The leaders at the summit assessed the challenges and opportunities for economic cooperation in the region and made declaration to strengthen BIMSTEC's ability to find ways and means to realise those challenges and opportunities effectively and efficiently.
In their speeches the leaders were in agreement for quicker and closer cooperation among these South and Southeast Asian nations in moving toward long-term economic goals as the best weapon to counter the perils of globalisation.
Khaleda asked for a meaningful cooperation in transportation and communications linkages, tourism, energy, marine resources, human resource development and people-to-people contacts.
She said: "Our efforts should remain focused on specific areas of cooperation and on projects with well-defined targets."
The projects she proposed include pharmaceuticals and drugs, textiles, leather, jute, small and cottage industries, agriculture, healthcare and information technology and tourism.
Referring to the conclusion of the free-trade negotiations among the BIMSTEC countries, the Prime Minister said such deals should be conducted keeping in mind the interest of least developed countries and should be within the framework of global trade regimes.
The three most advanced members of the economic bloc -- India, Sri Lanka and Thailand -- are committed to trade liberalisation by 2012 with the others -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal -- within 2017.
Khaleda said development of transportation and communications linkages would help enhance flow of trade, tourism, investment and people-to-people contacts.
On energy-development programmes, she said energy security, as underlined in the recently held ACD meeting, is a "major concern not only for us but also the whole of Asia".
The Prime Minister also drew the attention of BIMSTEC leaders to sustainable use of marine resources of the Bay of Bengal, which is vital for littoral countries.
About tourism, she said "Visit BIMSTEC Year 2004" has provided fresh impetus to greater cooperation in the tourism sector. Bangladesh hosted the seventh BIMSTEC Tourism Expert Group meeting in Dhaka in May this year.
"Efforts should now be made for developing a comprehensive strategy for promotion of tourism within our region through greater co-ordination among national tourist organisations and national airlines," she told the summit leaders.
In her 10-page speech, the Prime Minister also mentioned terrorism and transnational crimes and sought collective attention to combat the scourge effectively.
She said Bangladesh had consistently taken a firm and unequivocal stand against all forms of terrorism and transnational crimes.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Myanmar Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga also spoke at the opening ceremony.
Top leaders of newly included member countries Bhutan and Nepal were present on the occasion.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra urged the BIMSTEC leaders to build their economies to become more than a "small blip" on the radar screens of the rest of the world.
He said they have to tap the growing economic potential of Asia after a stuttering start for the BIMSTEC group of nations, which has little to show since its inception in 1997.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the group is a key part of its "Look East" trading policy, but it has to tackle other key issues such as terrorism, religious extremism, gunrunning and drug smuggling.
Singh announced a slew of measures such as a ministerial conference on energy, sharing experience in remote sensing and tourism roundtable to strengthen cooperation among the BIMSTEC countries.
The leaders noted with satisfaction the BIMSTEC's achievements so far, including the signing of the framework agreement of a BIMSTEC free trade area, the launch of Visit BIMSTEC Year 2004 and the year-long Plan of Action on tourism and the establishment of BIMSTEC chamber of commerce.