Perth: Vice President Hamid Ansari today left for India after attending the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting here. Ansari, who represented India at the summit of the leaders of the 54-nation bloc, had also held informal meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, among other world leaders here.
However, no bilateral talks was held with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Taking a step-by-step approach to reforms, the Commonwealth has agreed to adopt some of the recommendations of an eminent persons group to make it more relevant in current times, but has virtually rejected the proposal for a human rights commissioner. The final CHOGM communique yesterday, the last day of the summit, noted the "impasse" in the Doha round and urged the trade ministers` World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in December to commit to make "substantive progress" as well as make a formal "anti-protectionist pledge".
The communique also called for "accelerated efforts" to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). It endorsed India`s position that seeks a quick conclusion to the negotiations on the CCIT at the UN.
PTI