The Standing Committee of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which begins a two-day meeting on Tuesday, will discuss granting the new membership to Afghanistan and observer status to China and Japan.

The Standing Committee is represented with foreign secretaries of the seven-nation grouping All the foreign secretaries of the member-states arrived here Monday for the meeting, a top-level foreign ministry official said.

The official, who declined to be named, said the decision to give the new membership to Afghanistan and observers status to China and Japan were taken at the 13th SAARC Summit held here last year.

He said a number of states and international organizations expressed their willingness to associate them with the SAARC either as observer or guest.

The official said they have received formal application from the United States and South Korea seeking observer status, but now it would be impossible for them to attend SAARC's next Summit in New Delhi as their entries need decision of the Summit leaders.

He said the Standing Committee will discuss the application of the United States and South Korea and send it to the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting likely in July this year.

SAARC consists of seven countries, including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.

Source: Xinhua