“A moral force for equitable transformation of today’s world” ...
16 July 2009
The Hindu
India says financial crisis gives NAM new relevance
Siddharth Varadarajan
Sharm-el-Sheikh: Calling the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) a “moral force” for the equitable transformation of a world going through the worst economic crisis “in living memory,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the 118-nation grouping must ensure the steps planned to revive the global economy take into account the developing world’s concerns.
He was speaking at the NAM summit which got under way here on Wednesday.
Dr. Singh said the developing countries had been the hardest hit by the crisis which “emanated from the advanced industrial economies” and had strengthened protectionism and choked credit and capital flows to the third world. “If the aftermath of the crisis is not carefully managed, and if the abundance of liquidity leads to a revival of speculative activities, we may well see a period of prolonged stagflation,” the Prime Minister warned.
On climate change too, he blamed the “over two centuries of industrial activity and unsustainable lifestyles in the developed world” for the threat posed to the planet by the accumulation of greenhouse gases.
The weight of NAM should be used to achieve “a comprehensive, balanced and above all, equitable outcome” in the ongoing multilateral negotiations leading up to the Copenhagen conference in December this year.
The Prime Minister criticised the fact that “decision-making processes” at the United Nations and in international financial institutions “continue to be based on charters written more than 60 years ago, though the world has changed greatly since then.”
He said NAM should work to prioritise Africa’s problems in the global development agenda. On its part, India was committed to developing a comprehensive partnership with the continent.
Palestinian issue
Echoing the strong sentiment within NAM in support of Palestinian aspirations, the Prime Minister began his remarks by saying his “thoughts turn to the people of Palestine, who have endured great suffering and hardship.” “The movement,” he said, “must do more to facilitate a comprehensive, just, lasting and peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue.”
On terrorism, he stressed the long-standing Indian demand for speedy agreement on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. “Terrorists and those who aid and abet them must be brought to justice,” he said. “The infrastructure of terrorism must be dismantled and there should be no safe havens for terrorists because they do not represent any cause, group of religion.”
Showing posts with label Nonalignment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nonalignment. Show all posts
16 July 2009
Dateline Sharm-el-Sheikh: NAM energised by new discipline, purpose
Less bombast, more focus...
17 July 2009
The Hindu
NAM energised by new discipline, purpose
Siddharth Varadarajan
Sharm-el-Sheikh: For a grouping known by the expansiveness of its rhetoric and the prolixity of its participants, the Non-Aligned Movement seems to have turned a new leaf. Short speeches, more or less tightly woven around the theme of international solidarity for peace and development, were the order of the day and even the opening plenary — normally the stage for lengthy, declaratory pronouncements on weighty matters — ended half-an-hour before the time allotted for it.
Officials from India, Cuba and other NAM countries said it was evident the grouping had undergone a quiet transformation, in part because of the gravity of the financial crisis. “There is a new purposiveness,” a senior Indian official involved in the process of drafting the NAM summit declaration, said to The Hindu on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. “The acrimony quotient is almost absent and most bilateral issues have been kept out.”
The only glimpse of the old NAM was provided by the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, who spoke on behalf of the Africa group and occupied the rostrum for much longer than the world leaders who spoke on behalf of Asia, Latin America and Europe.
Speaking with passion, Mr. Gaddafi blamed the West for the problems of global warming, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Capitalist firms had destroyed the ozone layer and now developing countries were being targeted in the name of fighting terrorism. Defending Sudan and its leadership against the indictment handed down by the International Criminal Court over Darfur, the Libyan leader said the NAM should set up its own terrorism court to protect itself from the “terrorism of the ICC.” Is it right that the President of Sudan has been charged? “Will the ICC charge those who killed more than a million Iraqis?”
Waving a copy of the apology which the Italian government recently tendered to Libya for its colonial occupation of the country, he said the half-a-billion dollars Rome had agreed to pay annually was a good example of what was needed in the world. “We should not ask for aid, we should ask for compensation.”
Speaking earlier, Cuban President Raul Castro, in his capacity as chair of the last NAM summit, called for a new monetary and economic world order to take into consideration the needs of developing countries. He also said the NAM should be more active in the field of human rights and non-proliferation. Health also should be a priority, with the need for special focus on decreasing child mortality due to preventable diseases.
17 July 2009
The Hindu
NAM energised by new discipline, purpose
Siddharth Varadarajan
Sharm-el-Sheikh: For a grouping known by the expansiveness of its rhetoric and the prolixity of its participants, the Non-Aligned Movement seems to have turned a new leaf. Short speeches, more or less tightly woven around the theme of international solidarity for peace and development, were the order of the day and even the opening plenary — normally the stage for lengthy, declaratory pronouncements on weighty matters — ended half-an-hour before the time allotted for it.
Officials from India, Cuba and other NAM countries said it was evident the grouping had undergone a quiet transformation, in part because of the gravity of the financial crisis. “There is a new purposiveness,” a senior Indian official involved in the process of drafting the NAM summit declaration, said to The Hindu on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. “The acrimony quotient is almost absent and most bilateral issues have been kept out.”
The only glimpse of the old NAM was provided by the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, who spoke on behalf of the Africa group and occupied the rostrum for much longer than the world leaders who spoke on behalf of Asia, Latin America and Europe.
Speaking with passion, Mr. Gaddafi blamed the West for the problems of global warming, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Capitalist firms had destroyed the ozone layer and now developing countries were being targeted in the name of fighting terrorism. Defending Sudan and its leadership against the indictment handed down by the International Criminal Court over Darfur, the Libyan leader said the NAM should set up its own terrorism court to protect itself from the “terrorism of the ICC.” Is it right that the President of Sudan has been charged? “Will the ICC charge those who killed more than a million Iraqis?”
Waving a copy of the apology which the Italian government recently tendered to Libya for its colonial occupation of the country, he said the half-a-billion dollars Rome had agreed to pay annually was a good example of what was needed in the world. “We should not ask for aid, we should ask for compensation.”
Speaking earlier, Cuban President Raul Castro, in his capacity as chair of the last NAM summit, called for a new monetary and economic world order to take into consideration the needs of developing countries. He also said the NAM should be more active in the field of human rights and non-proliferation. Health also should be a priority, with the need for special focus on decreasing child mortality due to preventable diseases.
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