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India opposes military or economic force against Iran

— PHOTO: AFP

UNITY MOVE: German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier greets External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee prior to the first working session of the 8th ASEM Foreign Ministers meeting in Hamburg on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: As the standoff between Iran and the West continues over the former's nuclear programme, India on Tuesday voiced strong opposition to any ``threat or implied threat'' of use of military or economic force against Tehran, saying it would not yield any positive results.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a meeting of the 45-nation Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hamburg in Germany that Iran ``must be engaged purposefully and candidly'' as ``threats against or denigration of the country will not work.''

"Curbs will not work"

He, however, underlined that Iran had to be mindful of its international obligations. ``Progress on the issues that concern us [with regard to Iran] will not be possible by the use or the threat of use of force or sanctions,'' Mr. Mukherjee said, making an intervention at the ASEM amidst looming possibility of fresh United Nations sanctions against Iran.

Iran hailed

Hailing Iran as a country with tremendous natural and human resources, Mr. Mukherjee said development of these resources would make the Persian nation a factor for regional security and not ``the threat or the implied threat of use of military or economic force.''

India, along with Pakistan, Mongolia, Bulgaria and Romania, on Tuesday became a member of ASEM.

Mr. Mukherjee, who is leading the Indian delegation, was welcomed to the ASEM family by German Foreign Minister Franz-Walter Steinmeier, who is hosting the two-day meet in his capacity as the president of the European Council of Ministers.

Besides the five countries, the ASEAN Secretariat also became a new member of the ASEM.

>Underlining the significance of the ASEM's expansion towards South Asia, Mr. Steinmeier said the informal dialogue process between Europe and Asia, initiated in 1996, now represented about 50 per cent of the world's GDP, 58 per cent of the global population and 60 per cent of international trade.

This strength would enhance the ASEM's capacity to influence international politics, he said.

ASEM now dealt with issues related to foreign policy and security such as the Middle-East and Afghanistan, energy and climate change, socio-political themes such as employment and education, inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue as well as information and communication technology, he said.

The Minister said fora such as the ASEM would have a greater role to play in reaching common solutions to the problems confronting humanity in an increasingly globalised world. — PTI

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