Thursday, Mar 31, 2005
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 |
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By K. Venugopal
PORT LOUIS, MARCH 30. ``When politicians meet they cannot confine their discussions to the state of the weather.'' This was the response of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to a question from a mediaperson on whether he would discuss the Kashmir issue with the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, when he comes to New Delhi next month to watch the one-day cricket match. The Prime Minister said the meeting would help the two leaders understand better each other's point of view and would carry forward the dialogue they had on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meet in New York. ``I believe the people of the two countries want us to move forward. They want the bitterness of the past to give way to a new phase of brotherhood.'' ``A warm welcome awaits him,'' he said. Dr. Singh was speaking to the media on board the chartered Air India flight that took him on the seven-hour flight to Mauritius. Noting that the U.S. decision to sell the F-16 aircraft to Pakistan had come at a time when the two countries were engaged in the peace process, he reiterated that it was a disappointment for him. Yet, he said, India had to move forward. The U.S. had shown a willingness to engage the country on matters relating to energy, both nuclear and non-nuclear. ``We would have to explore what exactly they have in mind,'' he said. Dr. Singh emphasised that India's development efforts needed the strong support of the world community. ``We need a congenial atmosphere for development and must engage in a purposeful dialogue with all the countries, including the U.S.'' On the coming visit of the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, Dr. Singh noted that the two countries were host to a third of the world's population and had made tremendous strides in economic development in recent years. He recalled the Premier's statement that the world would be watching when the two leaders shook hands. Dr. Singh, accompanied by the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dayanidhi Maran, arrived here in the afternoon on a four-day visit that will include the signing of a few bilateral agreements with the Mauritius Prime Minister, Paul Berenger, and discussions with other political leaders in the island.
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