New Delhi - Leaders of South and South East Asian nations mooted the idea of a regional food bank to help needy members states at a regional summit in New Delhi Thursday.

"An idea was mooted that countries pool their resources and set up a food bank for needy countries whenever necessary," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a press briefing after the summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Top leaders and officials from the seven member states - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand - attended the daylong summit.

The retreat, which followed the plenary session, saw an exchange of views on the global financial crisis, food security, energy security and climate change, Singh said.

Substantial progress had been made on a convention on combating terrorism, trans-national organized crime and drug trafficking along with plans to set up a regional energy centre and a weather and climate centre in India and a cultural observatory in Bhutan, a joint declaration at the end of the summit said.

The leaders also agreed that that improved transportation and communication linkages and greater connectivity between member states would lead to increased trade and investment, tourism, and people-to-people contacts.

Leaders at the summit expressed satisfaction with progress on a regional free trade agreement and hoped for an early conclusion.

In his opening remarks, Singh called for focussed cooperation, especially in the area of maritime transport. "We should prepare a blueprint for future activities that is focused on a limited number of issues of common priority," he said.

He suggested construction of a deep-sea port to service the region.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Bangladesh chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat attended the summit.

It was announced at the summit that a ministerial conference on poverty alleviation would be held in Nepal in 2009 and that a poverty alleviation centre was proposed to be established in Bangladesh.

The BIMSTEC leaders also pledged to share experience and increase cooperation to jointly face the current global financial crisis.

Meanwhile, a group of Myanmar refugees appealed to the BIMSTEC to suspend the membership of Myanmar until human rights and democracy were restored in the country and to put pressure on the ruling junta to release political prisoners. (dpa)