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PM leaves for Abuja for CHOGM
New Delhi, Dec 04: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee left here on a four-day visit to Nigeria to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held at Abuja from December 05-08.
New Delhi, Dec 04: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee left
here on a four-day visit to Nigeria to attend the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held at
Abuja from December 05-08.
The Prime Minister, who was also scheduled to visit Accra on a
bilateral visit after the commonwealth meeting, is now skipping the
Ghana leg of his tour as he wants to devote more time to the
Parliament session.
On the margins of the summit, Vajpayee is expected to hold bilateral talks with some of the Commonwealth leaders.
The summit comes at a time when the grouping of former British colonies is confronted with many important issues, like the imbroglio over Zimbabwe and Pakistan's readmission into it.
Pakistan's case is presently being debated by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), of which India is a member.
Asked about India's role in the Commonwealth, new Foreign Secretary Shashank told reporters that New Delhi had a special place in the organisation as its largest member and by playing an active and significant role in promotion of the fundamental values and principles of the Commonwealth.
India has consistently played a constructive and substantive role in the various CHOGMS. It hosted the CHOGM in New Delhi in 1983 and now its successful bid to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games was ''a reflection'' of the growing importance of India in the Commonwealth, he said.
CHOGM 2003, under the special theme ''democracy and development: partnership of peace and prosperity'', is expected to discuss wide-ranging issues including the current political and economic scenario and the activities of the Commownwealth since the previous CHOGM in Coolum, Australia.
Bureau Report
On the margins of the summit, Vajpayee is expected to hold bilateral talks with some of the Commonwealth leaders.
The summit comes at a time when the grouping of former British colonies is confronted with many important issues, like the imbroglio over Zimbabwe and Pakistan's readmission into it.
Pakistan's case is presently being debated by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), of which India is a member.
Asked about India's role in the Commonwealth, new Foreign Secretary Shashank told reporters that New Delhi had a special place in the organisation as its largest member and by playing an active and significant role in promotion of the fundamental values and principles of the Commonwealth.
India has consistently played a constructive and substantive role in the various CHOGMS. It hosted the CHOGM in New Delhi in 1983 and now its successful bid to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games was ''a reflection'' of the growing importance of India in the Commonwealth, he said.
CHOGM 2003, under the special theme ''democracy and development: partnership of peace and prosperity'', is expected to discuss wide-ranging issues including the current political and economic scenario and the activities of the Commownwealth since the previous CHOGM in Coolum, Australia.
Bureau Report