Move fast on 26/11 trial: Singh to Zardari
31 Aug 2012 6:50 AM IST
Pushing Pakistan to act against India-directed terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan on Thursday that expeditious conclusion of the Mumbai terror attack trial in that country will be a 'major' confidence-building measure in bilateral relations.
During a meeting between the two leaders, which lasted more than half-an-hour, Singh underlined India's terrorism-related concerns. The prime minister 'underlined our terrorism-related concerns. He pressed for an expeditious conclusion in 26/11 trial and said action take in this sphere would be a major CBM,' the foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit.
Singh was accompanied by the external affairs minister S M Krishna and other senior officials, while Zardari had his son Bilawal Bhutto, the foreign affairs minister Hina Rabbani Khar and the interior minister Rehman Malik in his team.
Singh told Zardari that action in the Mumbai attack trial in Pakistan will be a major CBM, help in bridging the trust deficit and build public support for the kind of relationship India would like to see between the two nations
Singh said the action taken in 26/11 will be a 'major CBM that will help in bridging the trust deficit and will help in building public support for the kind of relationship that we would like to see between the two nations', Mathai said.
PRIME MINISTER ASKS NAM TO TAKE STAND ON SYRIA
Strongly pitching for coordinated global actions against international terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the Non-Aligned Movement [NAM ] to take a lead in this and also take a stand based on 'universally accepted principles' on Syria.
Voicing India's opposition to 'external intervention' in Syria, Singh, while addressing the leaders and other representatives from over 50 NAM countries, made a pointed reference to the situation in the West Asian region, particularly Syria, currently afflicted by a civil war between the troops loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad and the rebels.
'The West Asian and north African region is undergoing profound change. As the world's largest democracy, India supports popular aspirations for a democratic and pluralistic order. Nevertheless, such transformations cannot be prompted by external intervention, which exacerbate the suffering of ordinary citizens.
'The deteriorating situation in Syria is a matter of particular concern. Our Movement should take a stand on the issue in keeping with universally accepted principles,' he said, while urging all parties to recommit themselves to resolving the crisis peacefully through a Syrian-led inclusive political process that can meet the legitimate aspirations of all Syrian citizens.
Noting that the Non-Aligned Movement has always championed the cause of the Palestinian people, Singh said, "Today, we should renew our pledge to support an early resolution of the Palestinian question, so that the long suffering people of Palestine can live in peace and dignity in a state of their own."
He underlined that in the past, "individually we may have had little economic and military clout but the collective voice and reasoned interventions of our Movement commanded respect and credibility. That voice should again find true expression on a variety of issues."
The Prime Minister said that while NAM comes together on the international stage, it is equally important for it to collaborate among themselves in tackling problems and developing solutions that are best suited to the Movement's own circumstances.
Noting that developing world was rich in renewable sources of energy like solar power, he said, "We should use our financial and intellectual resources to develop renewable energy technologies that get less attention in the industrialised world where the resource base is different.
"Adoption of these technologies will also enable us to contribute to preservation of the environment. We can learn from each other in this effort."
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