Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas Visits India

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas paid a 4-day visit to India commencing from 06 October. Foreign Minister Dr Riyad Al-Maliki and other senior officials accompanied Mr Abbas. He met President Pratibha Patil and attended a State banquet in his honour.

The Indian Government accorded the visiting Palestinian leader the honour of a State visit. During the visit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated India’s continued support for the independence of Palestine. India also pledged US$20 million worth of economic assistance to Palestine.

“India believes that the solution should be based on the relevant United Nations resolution, the Arab Peace Plan and the chartered roadmap resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united state of Palestine living in a secure border, side by side with Israel,” stressed Manmohan Singh.

The two leaders laid the foundation stone of the chancery-cum-residence complex of the Embassy of Palestine and at chanakyapuri in New Delhi and formally dedicated the building “to the people of Palestine as a gift from the people of India”. An agreement on the construction of a school in the name of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Abu Dees in Palestine was also signed between the two sides.

Thanking India for its consistent support to the Palestinian cause, President Abbas said, “I would like to be very frank and say that India has given help and assistance to Palestine without asking for any favour in return. India is playing an important role in all fields concerning Palestine, including the peace process... We appreciate India’s support”.


Catherine Ashton is New EU Trade Commissioner

Catherine Ashton was confirmed as the new European Commissioner for External trade on 07 October. The appointment by the Council of Ministers follows the departure of Peter Mandelson to take up the position of Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in the United Kingdom. She will soon appear in front of the trade committee of the European Parliament.

Speaking about her appointment, Commissioner Ashton said, “I am delighted and very proud to have been asked to serve as Commissioner, to be a part of the European response to the global challenges we face. I look forward to setting out my views to EU member states and the European Parliament very soon.”

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in agreement with Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso nominated Catherine Ashton.

Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Up Holland, PC, was until now a Labour member in the UK House of Lords, the Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council in Gordon Brown’s first cabinet in June 2007. She is an economist and previously held positions as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education and Skills, Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice. She brings with her significant European experience, including steering the Lisbon Treaty through the UK’s upper chamber and dealing with EU justice and home affairs issues in her previous positions.

Laos President's Visit Gives a Boost to Indian Investments

President of the Laos People Democratic Republic Choummaly Sayasone visited India for five-days in the last week of August 2008. During the visit, the presidents of Laos and India discussed bilateral relations. President Pratbha Devisingh Patil said India would continue to provide cooperation in human resources development, health, socio-cultural, trade and other fields.

Among the agreements signed, one is that India would give US$1 million to assist the victims of the recent floods. Laos said that it would be supportive of Indian investments there. India would exempt taxation on Lao goods on its entry to India and in return Laos promises to provide facilities for Indian investors who would also setting up businesses in Laos.

India would provide soft loans for development projects in the southern part of Laos. The two sides also signed two MoUs, Trade and Economic Cooperation and Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements.

A Joint Business Council Agreement was signed between the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. President Choummaly thanked the government and people of India for extending their warm welcome to the high-ranking officials of Laos and added that he hoped his visit would further enhance the bilateral co-operation and warm relations between the two countries.

A joint statement by India and Laos during the state visit speaks of considerable potential for Indian companies to enter the Lao economy through investments. Laos, on its part, sees huge scope for Indian investors in sectors such as hydro-power, mining, agriculture, construction, road and railway network, transportation, information technology and e-governance, steel making, and small and medium enterprises.


Pro-Democracy Activist Nasheed Wins Maldives Presidential Poll

Mohamed Nasheed, a political ac tivist who spent years in prison has won Maldives first democratic presidential election, defeating incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who led the country for three decades.

Mohamed Nasheed emerged victorious on 29th October and faced the polls as head of the Maldivian Democratic Party winning 54 percent of the total votes; President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom got 46 percent of the popular vote. The runoff election was held after no candidate could get 50 percent of the vote in the first presidential poll, held earlier this month.

Mohamed Nasheed was jailed many times on what human rights groups call “trumped up charges”. Nasheed had promised more political freedom and anti-corruption measures. He also promised broad-based governance, and a responsive administration to improve conditions for the average citizen.

President Gayoom, who ruled the chain of islands in the Indian Ocean for 30 years, had won six previous elections in the country. As the only candidate Gayoom had a free-run. However, in 2004, growing street protests and international pressure forced Gayoom to introduce democratic reforms and paved the way for this multiparty election.

The Maldives is a chain of about 1200 low-lying islands and a top tourist destination in Asia. Despite its highest per capita income in South Asia, poverty still persists in the country.

Asia-Europe (ASEM) Summit in Beijing

Beijing hosted the Asia-Europe Meeting, known as ASEM, on 24 October. The global financial meltdown had injected a sense of urgency to the summit of European and Asian leaders. The summit hammered a consensus ahead of a November 15 meeting of the world’s top economies in Washington to discuss the worst financial crisis since the 1930s.

The 43-nation grouping’s members differ widely on their views toward international cooperation and intervention by global bodies. It has countries as divergent as free-trading Singapore, economic powerhouse Germany to moderate economies like Myanmar and Laos.

Echoing the summit agenda, Jose Barroso, President, EU Commission President put it rightly, “Unprecedented levels of global coordination are needed to deal with the crisis. It is very simple: we swim together, or sink together”.

The summit leaders were avidly looking at the presence of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, for his views, considering his background in economics and finance besides being the premier of an emerging economy.