The seven-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has failed to finalise the treaty framework for a regional free trade area (SAFTA) within the given deadline. The 11th Summit of the SAARC in Kathmandu had set December-end 2002 as the deadline to finalise the framework. The meeting of Committee of Experts ended here Sunday agreeing to finalise the framework draft only after ?conducting an in-depth evaluation on implications of transition to free trade area from the existing South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) among member countries?. The Sri Lanka-based consultant, Institute for Policy Studies, has been asked to submit the report by March-end 2003. The issue of special and differential treatment for small and Least Developed Countries, including longer phase-in period, mechanism for compensation of revenue loss etc. would be addressed at the next meting, the SAARC secretariat said.