PM praises Obama for diplomatic initiatives on Syria, Iran

Washington: During their interaction in the White House here on Friday, US President Barack Obama briefed Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the situation in Syria and Iran. President Obama further informed Dr Singh about the steps taken by his administration to reach a consensus on the way forward in getting the Syrian Government to hand over its chemical weapons to the relevant UN bodies.

In his response, Dr Singh congratulated president Obama on his initiative to give diplomacy yet another chance in Syria and Iran. “President briefed me about his initiatives both with regards to Syria and with regards to Iran. And I complimented him for his vision, for his courage in giving diplomacy yet another chance. India fully supports these initiatives because six million Indians live in West Asia and the Middle East, they earn their livelihood there which is an important source of sustaining our balance of payments,” said Dr. Singh in a joint media interaction with President Obama. “Therefore, anything that contributes to peace and stability in the Middle East, in Iran, in Syria is something which is in the interest of the global economy; it is certainly in the interest of people in the region in which I and India is placed,” he added. ANI