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G-8 invites India for June 25 meet

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

In a significant international development, India has been invited by the G-8 countries to participate at its June 25 meeting where it will present its view on international political and economic issues, ministry of external affairs, secretary (west) R S Kalhan said on Friday.

Briefing reporters on India's invitation by the G-8 countries, Kalhan said that he would be representing India at its significant albeit impending participation.

"The key point is that the invitation (by the G-8) shows that India is an important player and they have begun to take us seriously," he pointed out.

"During our talks, India will put its views across on peace, terrorism which poses a threat to international peace and also to life," the MEA secretary (west) emphasised.

He said New Delhi would highlight several economic issues in its interests.

However, Kalhan left no doubt that India's highlighting the issue of international terrorism would be its primary aim at the G-8 meet.

"International terrorism can only be combated by collective international action. We will raise the focus on international terrorism in all its ramifications," he said.

"We would urge the G-8 to endorse the draft (on the international agreement to combat terrorism) for early adoption by the United Nations general assembly," Kalhan underscored.

"We would also brief the G-8 leadership on the political developments in Afghanistan and India's security concerns," he added.

He pointed out that India would press for the implementation of the UN resolution number 1333 on extended sanctions on the Taliban.

He said Italy is the present chairman of the G-8 with its Asia secretary being Giafranco Bonetti.

"This is the first time India has been invited to the G-8 and that is an achievement," Kalhan pointed out.

MEA spokeswoman Nirupama Rao said that the ninth round of the India-China expert group on military and diplomacy would meet in New Delhi on June 28.

This expert group had been established after the agreement signed between the two countries to maintain peace and tranquility on the line of actual control.

According to Rao, the agreement had been signed between the two countries during the 1993 China visit of the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao.

So far, eight such meetings have been held with the last one being held in Beijing.

"It is for the first time that maps have been exchanged during the 8th meeting on the line of actual control as perceived by the two sides," the spokeswoman pointed out.

She said the two sides exchanged the maps after the Union Minister for External Affairs Jaswant Singh wrote to his Chinese counterpart that "the process of clarification and confirmation of LAC be expedited," Rao pointed out.

"The ninth meeting of the expert groups will be held so that the process of clarifying the LAC continues which began at the previous meeting," she added.

She also pointed out that India had accepted Bangladesh's invitation for continuing the discussions between the joint working border groups of the two countries at Dhaka commencing from Jul 2 to 4.

According to the spokeswoman, MEA joint secretary Meera Shankar would be heading the Indian delegation to Dhaka. It will stay in Dhaka from July 1 to 5, 2001.

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