Manmohan Singh plunges into hectic diplomacy at UN

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh begins a hectic round of diplomacy here on Friday ahead of his address to the United Nations focusing on terrorism, the economic slowdown and the vexed Palestine issue.

Manmohan Singh, who arrived here on Thursday afternoon, is set to hold five bilateral meetings during his five-day stay in New York.

Starting with a meeting with the new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Friday morning he meets with the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the new Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.

He would also be meeting with the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, the newest nation to join the world body.

India's Permanent Representative at the UN Hardeep Singh asked the media not to read too much into Manmohan Singh not meeting President Barack Obama during his current trip.

"It was simply a scheduling issue," he said noting Obama had left New York before Manmohan Singh landed. But both leaders are going to be present for the upcoming G-20 summit in Cannes in November and Manmohan Singh will have many opportunities to meet Obama as also leaders of UK and France there and other international meetings.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna Thursday attended a meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) foreign ministers and a symposium to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the African National Congress.

"This is the century of Asia and Africa," he said at the event on South Africa's contribution to the fight against racism and xenophobia.

"The new dawn that the freedom fighters of India and the African National Congress dreamed about is upon us. We walked together in the walk to freedom; we now continue this journey into a better future for our two nations and for the entire world."

Speaking at another high level event on conflict prevention at the UN Security Council organised by its current president Lebanon he said there really is no sustainable alternative to political processes.

"The primary focus of the United Nations should the facilitation of a political settlement", he said stressing "the time tested principles of national consent, impartiality, fairness and equity in all conflict prevention activities that the UN may undertake."