SAARC leaders gathering in Colombo
Updated
South Asian leaders are gathering in Sri Lanka for he South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit.
The delegates say they hope the summit will focus on food security, high oil costs and working on developing alternate energy sources and improving infrastructure in the world's poorest region, home to 1.5 Billion people.
SAARC, was founded in 1985 with the aim of deepening regional economic cooperation and includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The premiers of India and Pakistan will meet on the sidelines of the conference amid new tensions.
India says peace talks with Pakistan were at the lowest point in their four-year history after a spate of bombings in Indian cities and at the country's embassy in Kabul.
Sri Lanka's government has imposed unprecedented security for the summit, deploying nearly 20,000 police and troops in the capital, while continuing an offensive against separatist Tamil Tiger positions in the north.
