TEHRAN Secretary of Sri Lankan Ministry of Cooperative Development M.S. Jayasinghe here Monday called for a clear policy and legislation for the cooperatives sector to face modern economic trends.

Jayasinghe told IRNA on the sidelines of the International Cooperatives Alliance (ICA)-ROAP regional consultation meeting (July 1-5) that the ongoing meeting is mainly dedicated to the ICA member countries to formulate policies and legislation on reforming cooperatives.

He said the dialogue had been going on for the last 10 years and it is high time that there is a clear policy and legislation to face the modern economic trends.

"Cooperatives movement can't go alone with old legislation and policy and due to the open-market economies, the movement will have to change the policies and principles," he said.

He said that was the forum to discuss the recommendations made by the cooperatives ministers' conferences held in Beijing, China, in 1999.

At this conference the participating countries will have to discuss the recommendation and adopt new proposals to be considered at the next ministers conference scheduled to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in March 2002, he added.

The Sri Lankan official said there are eight major areas to be discussed at the forum. Each and every country can contribute to update the recommendations.

He said that as the secretary to the Ministry of Cooperatives in Sri Lanka, he would have to contribute to achievement of objectives of the conference.

Elsewhere in the interview, he said open market system and how to face the challenges posed by the system to the cooperative movement is the major issue that was being considered at the ongoing conference.

He advised the cooperatives sector in the Asia-Pacific region to change their principles and approaches to develop the cooperatives movement so as to sustain the movement.

If we don't face the challenges the movement will be naturally eroded,'' he warned.

Jayasinghe said that Iran is a member of the ICA. As a strong cooperative movement, Iran can, by participating at the conference, hold dialogue with other member countries and forward its views for the information of other member countries.