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SouthAsianAssociationforRegionalCooperation
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TheSouthAsianAssociationforRegionalCooperation(SAARC)isaneconomicandgeopoliticalorganisationof
eightcountriesthatareprimarilylocatedinSouthAsiaorIndiansubcontinent.[11]TheSAARCSecretariatisbased
inKathmandu,Nepal.[12]ThecombinedeconomyofSAARCisthe3rdlargestintheworldinthetermsof
GDP(PPP)aftertheUnitedStatesandChinaand5thlargestinthetermsofnominalGDP.SAARCnationscomprise
3%oftheworld'sareaandcontain21%(around1.7billion)oftheworld'stotalpopulationandaround9.12%of
Globaleconomyasof2015.SAARCalsohometoworld's3rd&7thlargestEconomyofworldinGPP(PPP)&
GDP(Nominal)termsrespectivelyaswellasWorld'sfastestgrowingmajorEconomy,thatisIndia.Indiamakesup
over70%oftheareaandpopulationamongtheseeightnations.AllnonIndianmemberstatesexceptAfghanistan
shareborderswithIndiabutonlytwoothermembers,PakistanandAfghanistan,haveaborderwitheachother.
During200510,theaverageGDPgrowthrateofSAARCstoodatanimpressive8.8%p.a.,butitslowedto6.5%in
2011largelybecauseofeconomicslowdowninIndia,whichaccountsfornearly80%ofSAARC'seconomy.But
drivenbyastrongexpansioninIndia,coupledwithfavorableoilprices,fromthelastquarterof2014SouthAsia
onceagainbecomethefastestgrowingregionintheworld.[13]

SouthAsiaAssociationforRegional
Cooperation(SAARC)

Logo

TheideaofregionalpoliticalandeconomicalcooperationinSouthAsiawasfirstraisedin2May1980by
BangladeshPresidentZiaurRahmanandthefirstsummitwasheldinDhakaon8December1985,whenthe
organisationwasestablishedbythegovernmentsofBangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,andSri
Lanka.[14][15]Sincethentheorganisationhasexpandedbyacceptingonenewfullmember,Afghanistan,[16]and
severalobservermembers.[14]

Memberstates
Observerstates

TheSAARCpoliciesaimtopromotewelfareeconomics,collectiveselfrelianceamongthecountriesofSouthAsia,
andtoacceleratesocioculturaldevelopmentintheregion.[17]TheSAARChasdevelopedexternalrelationsby
establishingpermanentdiplomaticrelationswiththeEU,theUN(asanobserver),andothermultilateralentities.[17]
Theofficialmeetingsoftheleadersofeachnationareheldannuallywhilsttheforeignministersmeettwice
annually.[17]The18thSAARCSummitwasheldinKathmandufrom2627November2014.

Contents
1History
2Membersandobservers
2.1Observers
2.2Potentialfuturemembers
3Secretariat
3.1RegionalCentres
4ApexandRecognisedBodies
5Politicalissues
6SouthAsianFreeTradeArea
7SAARCVisaExemptionScheme
8Awards
8.1SAARCAward
8.2SAARCLiteraryAward
8.3SAARCYouthAward
9Anthem
10SecretariesGeneralofSAARC
11SAARCsummits
12Seealso
13References
14Externallinks

Headquarters
Officiallanguages
Membership

Kathmandu,Nepal
English
8members
9observers

Leaders
SecretaryGeneral

ArjunBahadurThapa[1]

Directors:
Afghanistan

MdIbrahimGhafoori[2]

Bangladesh

MJHJabed[3]

Bhutan

SingyeDorjee[4]

India

L.Savithri[5]

FathimathNajwa[6]

Maldivesa
Nepal

Pakistan

SriLanka

AhmarIsmail
(http://www.saarc
sec.org/Ahmar
Ismail/48/)[8]
PrasannaGamage[9]

HarpalSingNepali[7]

Establishment

8December1985

GDP(PPP)
Total

April2015estimate
US$9.9trillion [10]

GDP(nominal)
Total

April2015estimate
US$2.9trillion[10]

Website
www.saarcsec.org(http://www.saarcsec.org/)
a.

CurrentSAARCSummithost

History
TheideaofcooperationinSouthAsiawasdiscussedinatleastthreeconferences:theAsianRelationsConferenceheldinNewDelhionApril1947theBaguio
ConferenceinthePhilippinesonMay1950andtheColomboPowersConferenceheldinSriLankainApril1954.[18]
Intheendingyearsofthe1970s,theseveninnerSouthAsiannationsthatincludedBangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,andSriLankaagreedupon
thecreationofatradeblocandtoprovideaplatformforthepeopleofSouthAsiatoworktogetherinaspiritoffriendship,trustandunderstanding.PresidentZiaur
RahmanlateraddressedofficialletterstotheleadersofthecountriesoftheSouthAsia,presentinghisvisionforthefutureoftheregionandthecompellingarguments
forregion.[14]DuringhisvisittoIndiainDecember1977,PresidentZiaurRahmandiscussedtheissueofregionalcooperationwiththethenIndianPrimeMinister,
MorarjiDesai.IntheinauguralspeechtotheColomboPlanConsultativeCommitteewhichmetinKathmandualsoin1977,KingBirendraofNepalgaveacallfor
closeregionalcooperationamongSouthAsiancountriesinsharingriverwaters.[19]AftertheUSSR'sinterventioninAfghanistan,theeffortstoestablishedtheunion
wasacceleratedin1979andtheresultingrapiddeteriorationofSouthAsiansecuritysituation.[19]RespondingtothePresidentZiaRehmanandKingBirendra's
convention,theofficialsoftheforeignministriesofthesevencountriesmetforthefirsttimeinColomboinApril1981.[19]TheBangladesh'sproposalwaspromptly
endorsedbyNepal,SriLanka,BhutanandtheMaldivesbutIndiaandPakistanwerescepticalinitially.[19]TheIndianconcernwastheproposalsreferencetothe
securitymattersinSouthAsiaandfearedthatPresidentZiaRehman'sproposalforaregionalorganisationmightprovideanopportunityfornewsmallerneighboursto
renationalisedallbilateralissuesandtojoinwitheachothertogangupagainstIndia.PakistanassumedthatitmightbeanIndianstrategytoorganisetheotherSouth
AsiancountriesagainstPakistanandensurearegionalmarketforIndianproducts,therebyconsolidatingandfurtherstrengtheningIndiaseconomicdominanceinthe
region.[19]
However,afteraseriesofquietdiplomaticconsultationsbetweenSouthAsianforeignministersattheUNheadquartersinNewYorkfromAugusttoSeptember1980,
itwasagreedthatBangladeshwouldpreparethedraftofaworkingpaperfordiscussionamongtheforeignsecretariesofSouthAsiancountries.[19]Theforeign
secretariesoftheinnersevencountriesagaindelegatedaCommitteeoftheWholeinColomboonSeptember1981,whichidentifiedfivebroadareasforregional
cooperation.Newareasofcooperationwereaddedinthefollowingyears.[20]
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In1983,theinternationalconferenceheldbyIndianMinisterofExternalAffairsP.V.NarasimhaRao
inNewDelhi,theforeignministersoftheinnersevencountriesadoptedtheDeclarationonSouth
AsianAssociationRegionalCooperation(SAARC)andformallylaunchedtheIntegratedProgramme
ofAction(IPA)initiallyinfiveagreedareasofcooperationnamely,AgricultureRuralDevelopment
TelecommunicationsMeteorologyandHealthandPopulationActivities.[21]
Officially,theunionwasestablishedinDhakawithKathmandubeingunion'ssecretariatgeneral.[22]
ThefirstSAARCsummitwasheldinDhakaon78December1985andhostedbythePresidentof
BangladeshHussainErshad.[15]ThedeclarationsignedbyKingofBhutanJigmeSingye,Presidentof
PakistanZiaulHaq,PrimeMinisterofIndiaRajivGandhi,KingofNepalBirendraShah,Presidentof
SriLankaJRJayewardene,andPresidentofMaldivesMaumoonGayoom.[15]

Membersandobservers
EconomicdataissourcedfromtheInternationalMonetaryFund,currentasofApril2015,andisgiven
inUSdollars.[23]

AclickableEulerdiagramshowingtherelationshipsbetween
variousAsianregionalorganisations
vde(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Template:Supranational_Asian_Bodies&action=edit)

Country

Population(Million)

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri
Lanka

GDP
(Nominal)

GDP
(PPP)

GDP
per
Capita
(PPP)

GDP
Growth
Rate
(2014)

Exports
(2014)

Foreign
Direct
Investment
(2013)

Foreign
Exchange
Reserves(million)

Defense
Budget(%
ofGDP)
(2014)[24]

Literacy
Rate(Given
Age&
above

32.007

$21.3bn

$63.5bn

$1,976

3.2%

$0.3bn

N/A

$6,442

N/A

28.1%(Age
15)

159.857

$205.3bn

$572.6
bn

$3,581

6.2%

$31.2bn

$0.66bn

$24,072

$2.2
bn(1.2%)

57.7%(Age
15)

0.779

$2.2bn

$6.3bn

$8,158

6.4%

$0.7bn

$63mln

N/A

N/A

52.8%(age15)

1,276.2

$2308.0bn

$7996.6
bn

$6,266

7.3%

$464.0bn

$31.0bn

$351,557

0.38

$3.0bn

$5.2bn

$14,980

4.5%

$0.28bn

N/A

$356

28.4

$21.6bn

$70.7bn

$2,488

5.5%

$1.0bn

$10mln

$45bn(1.9%) 74.4%(age7)
N/A

99%(age15)

$5,439

N/A

66%(age15)
55%(age15)
98.1%(age15)

190.4

$250bn

$928.0bn

$4,886

4.2%

$25.1bn

$2.2bn

$16,305

$7.4
bn(3.5%)

21.7

$80.4bn

$233.7
bn

$11,068

7%

$11.8bn

$0.9bn

$8,314

$1.4
bn(2.3%)

ThefirstsecretarygeneralwasAbulHasan(16January19855October1989)thefirstfemalesecretarygeneralwasFathimaDhayanaSied(Maldivis)Thefirst
secretarygeneralfromIndiawasKantKishoreBhargava(17Oct198931Dec1991)
ThememberstatesareAfghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,andSriLanka.[28]
SAARCwasfoundedbysevenstatesin1985.In2005,AfghanistanbegannegotiatingtheiraccessiontoSAARCandformallyappliedformembershiponthesame
year.[29][30]TheissueofAfghanistanjoiningSAARCgeneratedagreatdealofdebateineachmemberstate,includingconcernsaboutthedefinitionofSouthAsian
identitybecauseAfghanistanisaCentralAsiancountry.[31]
TheSAARCmemberstatesimposedastipulationforAfghanistantoholdageneralelectionthenonpartisanelectionswereheldinlate2005.[31]Despiteinitial
reluctanceandinternaldebates,AfghanistanjoinedSAARCasitseighthmemberstateinApril2007.[31][32]

Observers
Stateswithobserverstatusinclude[33]Australia,[34]China,theEuropeanUnion,[35]Iran,Japan,[35]Mauritius,[36]Myanmar,SouthKoreaandtheUnitedStates.[37]
On2August2006,theforeignministersoftheSAARCcountriesagreedinprincipletograntobserverstatustothreeapplicants[38]theUSandSouthKorea(both
maderequestsinApril2006),[38]aswellastheEuropeanUnion(requestedinJuly2006).[39]On4March2008,Iranrequestedobserverstatus,[40]followedshortlyby
Mauritius.

Potentialfuturemembers
MyanmarhasexpressedinterestinupgradingitsstatusfromanobservertoafullmemberofSAARC.[41]Russiahasappliedforobserverstatusmembershipof
SAARC.[42][43][44][45]TurkeyappliedforobserverstatusmembershipofSAARCin2012.[42][43][44][45]SouthAfricahasparticipatedinmeetings.[46]

Secretariat
TheSAARCSecretariatwasestablishedinKathmanduon16January1987andwasinauguratedbyLateKingBirendraBirBikramShahofNepal.

RegionalCentres

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TheSAARCSecretariatissupportedbyfollowingRegionalCentresestablishedinMemberStatestopromoteregionalcooperation.TheseCentresaremanagedby
GoverningBoardscomprisingrepresentativesfromalltheMemberStates,SAARCSecretaryGeneralandtheMinistryofForeign/ExternalAffairsoftheHost
Government.TheDirectoroftheCentreactsasMemberSecretarytotheGoverningBoardwhichreportstotheProgrammingCommittee.
SAARCAgriculturalCentre(SAC),Dhaka,Bangladesh
SAARCMeteorologicalResearchCentre(SMRC),Dhaka,Bangladesh
SAARCTuberculosisandHIV/AIDSCentre(STAC),Kathmandu,Nepal
SAARCDocumentationCentre(SDC),NewDelhi,India
SAARCHumanResourcesDevelopmentCentre(SHRDC),Islamabad,Pakistan
SAARCCoastalZoneManagementCentre(SCZMC),Maldives
SAARCInformationCentre(SIC),Nepal
SAARCEnergyCentre(SEC),Pakistan
SAARCDisasterManagementCentre(SDMC),India
SAARCForestryCentre(SFC),Bhutan
SAARCCulturalCentre(SCC),SriLanka[47]
SAARCDevelopmentFund(SDF),Bhutan

ApexandRecognisedBodies

SecretariatoftheSouthAsian
AssociationforRegionalCooperation
inKathmandu,Nepal

SAARChassixApexBodies,[48]namely,SAARCChamberofCommerce&Industry(SCCI),SAARCLAW(SouthAsian
AssociationForRegionalCooperationInLaw),[49]SouthAsianFederationofAccountants(SAFA),SouthAsiaFoundation(SAF),SouthAsiaInitiativetoEnd
ViolenceAgainstChildren(SAIEVAC),FoundationofSAARCWritersandLiterature(FOSWAL)
HemantBatraisthecurrentincumbentSecretaryGeneralofSAARCLAW.
SAARCalsohasabout17recognisedbodies.[48]

Politicalissues
LastingpeaceandprosperityoftheIndiansubcontinenthasbeenelusiveduetothevariousongoingconflictsandintheregion.Politicaldialogueisoftenconductedon
themarginsofSAARCmeetingswhichhaverefrainedfrominterferingintheinternalmattersofitsmemberstates.[50]Duringthe12thand13thSAARCsummits,
extremeemphasiswaslaidupongreatercooperationbetweentheSAARCmemberstofightterrorism.[51][52]

SouthAsianFreeTradeArea
SAFTAwasenvisagedprimarilyasthefirststeptowardsthetransitiontoaSouthAsianFreeTradeArea(SAFTA)
leadingsubsequentlytowardsaCustomsUnion,CommonMarketandEconomicUnion.In1995,theSixteenth
sessionoftheCouncilofMinisters(NewDelhi,1819December1995)agreedontheneedtostriveforthe
realisationofSAFTAandtothisendanInterGovernmentalExpertGroup(IGEG)wassetupin1996toidentify
thenecessarystepsforprogressingtoafreetradearea.TheTenthSAARCSummit(Colombo,2931July1998)
decidedtosetupaCommitteeofExperts(COE)todraftacomprehensivetreatyframeworkforcreatingafreetrade
areawithintheregion,takingintoconsiderationtheasymmetriesindevelopmentwithintheregionandbearingin
mindtheneedtofixrealisticandachievabletargets.TheSAFTAAgreementwassignedon6January2004during
TwelfthSAARCSummitheldinIslamabad,Pakistan.TheAgreemententeredintoforceon1January2006,and
CountriesundertheSouthAsianFreeTradeArea
theTradeLiberalisationProgrammecommencedfrom1July2006.Underthisagreement,SAARCmemberswill
bringtheirdutiesdownto20percentby2009.FollowingtheAgreementcomingintoforcetheSAFTAMinisterial
Council(SMC)hasbeenestablishedcomprisingtheCommerceMinistersoftheMemberStates.[53]In2012theSAARCexportsincreasedsubstantiallytoUS$354.6
billionfromUS$206.7billionin2009.ImportstooincreasedfromUS$330billiontoUS$602billionoverthesameperiod.ButtheintraSAARCtradeamountstojust
alittleover1%ofSAARC'sGDP.Incontrast,inASEAN(whichisactuallysmallerthanSAARCintermsofsizeofeconomy)theintrabloctradestandsat10%ofits
GDP.

SAARCVisaExemptionScheme
TheSAARCVisaExemptionSchemewaslaunchedin1992.TheleadersattheFourthSummit(Islamabad,2931December1988),whilerealisingtheimportanceof
havingpeopletopeoplecontacts,amongthepeoplesofSAARCcountries,decidedthatcertaincategoriesofdignitariesshouldbeentitledtoaSpecialTravel
document,whichwouldexemptthemfromvisaswithintheregion.AsdirectedbytheSummit,theCouncilofMinistersregularlykeptunderreviewthelistofentitled
categories.Currentlythelistincluded24categoriesofentitledpersons,whichincludeDignitaries,Judgesofhighercourts,Parliamentarians,SeniorOfficials,
Businessmen,Journalists,Sportsmenetc.TheVisaStickersareissuedbytherespectiveMemberStatestotheentitledcategoriesofthatparticularcountry.Thevalidity
oftheVisaStickerisgenerallyforoneyear.TheimplementationisreviewedregularlybytheImmigrationAuthoritiesofSAARCMemberStates.[54]

Awards
SAARCAward
TheTwelfthSummitapprovedtheSAARCAwardtosupportindividualsandorganisationswithintheregion.ThemainendsoftheSAARCAwardare:
ToencourageindividualsandorganisationsbasedinSouthAsiatoundertakeprogrammesandactivitiesthatcomplementtheeffortsofSAARC
ToencourageindividualsandorganizationsinSouthAsiacontributingtobetteringtheconditionsofwomenandchildren
Tohonouroutstandingcontributionsandachievementsofindividualsandorganizationswithintheregioninthefieldsofpeace,development,povertyalleviation,
environmentprotectionandregionalcooperation
Tohonouranyothercontributionsandachievementnotcoveredaboveofindividualsandorganisationsintheregion.
TheSAARCAwardconsistsofagoldmedal,aletterofcitation,andcashprizeofUS$25,000(15lakhs).SincetheinstitutionoftheSAARCAwardin2004,ithas
beenawardedonlyonceandtheAwardwasposthumouslyconferreduponthelatePresidentZiaurRahmanofBangladesh.[55]

SAARCLiteraryAward

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SAARCLiteraryAwardisanannualawardconferredbytheFoundationofSAARC(SouthAsianAssociationofRegionalCooperation)WritersandLiterature
(FOSWAL)since2001[56][57]whichisanapexSAARCbody.[58]ShamshurRahman,MahaswetaDevi,JayantaMahapatra,AbhiSubedi,MarkTully,Sitakant
Mahapatra,UdayPrakash,SumanPokhrelandAbhayKaresomeoftheprominentrecipientsofthisaward.[59]
Nepalipoet,lyricistandtranslatorSumanPokhrelistheonlypoet/writertogetthisawardtwice.[60]

SAARCYouthAward
TheSAARCYouthAwardisawardedtooutstandingindividualsfromtheSAARCregion.Theawardisnotableduetothe
RecipientsofSAARCLiteraryAward
recognitionitgivestotheAwardwinnerintheSAARCregion.Theawardisbasedonspecificthemeswhichapplytoeach
2013
year.Theawardrecognisesandpromotesthecommitmentandtalentoftheyouthwhogivebacktotheworldatlargethrough
variousinitiativessuchasInventions,ProtectionoftheEnvironmentandDisasterrelief.Therecipientswhoreceivethisaward
areoneswhohavededicatedtheirlivestotheirindividualcausestoimprovesituationsintheirowncountriesaswellaspavingapathfortheSAARCregiontofollow.
TheCommitteefortheSAARCYouthAwardselectsthebestcandidatebasedonhis/hermeritsandtheirdecisionisfinal.
PreviousWinners:
1997:OutstandingSocialServiceinCommunityWelfareMohammedSukurSalek(Bangladesh)
1998:NewInventionsandShanuNajmulHasnainShah(Pakistan)
2001:CreativePhotography:SouthAsianDiversityMushfiqulAlam(Bangladesh)
2002:OutstandingcontributiontoprotecttheEnvironmentMasilKhan(Pakistan)
2003:InventionintheFieldofTraditionalMedicineHassanSher(Pakistan)
2004:OutstandingcontributiontoraisingawarenessforTBand/orHIV/AIDSAjijPrasadPoudyal(Nepal)
2006:PromotionofTourisminSouthAsiaSyedZafarAbbasNaqvi(Pakistan)
2008:ProtectingtheEnvironmentinSouthAsiaUswattaLiyanageDeepaniJayantha(SriLanka)
2009:OutstandingcontributiontohumanitarianworksintheaftermathofNaturalDisastersRavikantSingh(India)
2010:OutstandingcontributionfortheProtectionofEnvironmentandmitigationofClimateChangeAnokaPrimroseAbeyrathne(SriLanka)

Anthem
SAARCdoesnothaveanofficialanthemlikesomeotherregionalorganisations(e.g.ASEAN).[61]ApoembypoetdiplomatAbhayKumarspurredasearchfora
betterSAARCAnthem.[62]Nepal'sforeignministerhasexpressedtheneedforaSAARCanthemtoconnectSAARCnations.[63]Nepalatthe18thsummitin
KathmanduinNovember2014plannedtointroduceproposalforaSAARCAnthemintheagendaofsummitwhenheadsofallmemberstatesmeethere.[61]

SecretariesGeneralofSAARC
AbulHasan

16January1985to15October1989

KantKishoreBhargava

17October1989to31December1991

IbrahimHusseinZaki

1January1992to31December1993

YadavKantSilwal

1January1994to31December1995

NaeemU.Hasan

1January1996to31December1998

NihalRodrigo

1January1999to10January2002

Q.A.M.A.Rahim

11January2002to28February2005

ChenkyabDorji

1March2005to29February2008

SheelKantSharma

1March2008to28February2011

FathimathDhiyanaSaeed 1March2011to11March2012
AhmedSaleem
ArjunBahadurThapa

12March2012to28February2014[64]
1March2014to(present)[65][66]

SAARCsummits

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Date
78December1985

2nd 1617November1986
3rd 24November1987

Country

Host

Bangladesh Dhaka
India
Nepal

Hostleader
AtaurRahmanKhan

Bengaluru RajivGandhi
Kathmandu MarichManSinghShrestha

4th 2931December1988

Pakistan

Islamabad

BenazirBhutto

5th 2123November1990

Maldives

Mal

MaumoonAbdulGayoom

6th 21December1991

SriLanka

Colombo

RanasinghePremadasa

7th 1011April1993

Bangladesh Dhaka

8th 24May1995

India

NewDelhi PVNarasimhaRao

9th 1214May1997

Maldives

Mal

MaumoonAbdulGayoom

10th 2931July1998

SriLanka

Colombo

ChandrikaKumaratunga

11th 46January2002

Nepal

KhaledaZia

Kathmandu SherBahadurDeuba

12th 26January2004

Pakistan

13th 1213November2005

Bangladesh Dhaka

14th 34April2007

India

NewDelhi ManmohanSingh

15th 13August2008

SriLanka

Colombo

MahindaRajapaksa

16th 2829April2010

Bhutan

Thimphu

JigmeThinley

Maldives

Addu

MohammedNasheed

17th

1011November2011[67]

18th 2627November2014 [66]

19th TBA2016

Nepal
Pakistan

Islamabad

ZafarullahKhanJamali
KhaledaZia

Kathmandu SushilKoirala
Islamabad

Seealso
SAARCsatellite
AsiaCooperationDialogue
BayofBengalInitiativeforMultiSectoralTechnicalandEconomicCooperation
IndianOceanRimAssociation
ListofSAARCsummits
MekongGangaCooperation
SouthAsianFreeTradeArea
SouthAsiaSubregionalEconomicCooperation

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Externallinks
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