New Delhi
26 April 2006
Despite the situation in Nepal and Sri Lanka, no senior minister
holding the Ministry of External Affairs portfolio is in the Capital to steer the course of
events in a region which is of vital importance to India.
As the Maoists begin to lift the blockade in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal and Sri
Lankan security forces target the rebel strongholds after a suicide bomber blows herself
up in a failed bid to assassinate the Sri Lankan army commander, Union Minister of
State for External Affairs Anand Sharma is in Windhoek, Namibia, to participate in the
Consultative Conference of the Southern African Development Community and to attend
the India-SADC Forum meeting. He is not expected home before the month-end.
The other Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr E Ahamed, is in Kerala to
campaign for his party, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), in the Assembly
elections there. And Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been holding the foreign
portfoilo since the exit of Mr Natwar Singh from the helm of affairs at the Ministry of
External Affairs, is on an official visit to Uzbekistan.
That left Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran to hold the fort and work with Defence Minister
Pranab Mukherjee to steer India's foreign policy in the countries in her immediate
neighbourhood.
In Kozhikode, Mr Ahamed on Wednesday assured that India will provide full-fledged
support to bring back peace and prosperity in Nepal. "The future of Nepal is in safe
hands now. As a close neighbour and friend of that country, India has all along stood by
the people of Nepal in their unrelenting struggle for restoration of democratic rights," he
told reporters.
Noting that India had already made its position very clear with regard to Nepal, he said,
"It is a victory of the people of Nepal who have displayed extraordinary courage in
restoring democracy .... We are ready to support them in whatever manner they feel to
restore a peaceful and prosperous Nepal."
No comments:
Post a Comment