PM to present India's view on climate change at G-8 meet
Wednesday, 06 June 2007, 19:30 IST
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left for Germany Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend the summit meeting of G8 and outreach countries where he will project "India's viewpoint on global issues" like climate protection, energy efficiency and global trade. "At the summit, I will speak on issues related to climate change. I will emphasize the need not to lose sight of the fundamental and universally accepted principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities between the developed and developing worlds," Manmohan Singh said in a statement as he left for Berlin to attend the G-8 summit being held in nearby Heiligendamm Friday. Manmohan Singh stressed that "India's viewpoint" on these key global issues is much the same as that of the developing world, which believes that "more and not less development is the best way for developing countries to address themselves to the issue of preserving the environment and protecting the climate." "Our viewpoint, and the viewpoint of much of the developing world on these issues, is that while addressing them due care must be taken not to allow growth and development prospects in the developing world to be undermined or constrained," Manmohan Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the host of the G-8 summit, US President George Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Manmohan Singh's meeting with US President George Bush could prove to be of crucial in resolving the deadlock in the ongoing civil nuclear negotiations between India and the US that is bogged down in some sticky issues relating to India's right to test a nuclear device and to re-process US-origin spent fuel. Manmohan Singh is likely to press Bush for granting India prior consent to re-processing US-origin spent fuel - a difficult issue that needs to be decisively resolved before the two sides can seal the 123 agreement that will pave the way for resumption of civil nuclear cooperation between India and the US after a gap of nearly three decades. Ahead of the G-8 summit, the prime minister will participate in the summit meeting with leaders of outreach countries hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon Thursday. The five countries, who have been invited as outreach nations to the G8 summit of the world's wealthiest and most influential nations for the third year in a row, include India, Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa. Outreach countries are expected to discuss a gamut of issues like the Doha round of trade negotiations and evolve a common position reflecting concerns of developing countries on global warming. The summit's host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is likely to press for binding rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India is opposed to legally mandated measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as they are likely to have adverse impacts on GDP growth of developing countries and affect their poverty alleviation programmes.
Source: IANS
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