Huntsville (Canada), June 26
Leaders of the industrial world turned their sights on Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea today, as security threats and nuclear proliferation took centre stage at the G8 summit.

"The session ... Is going to focus on peace and security, Iran and North Korea will be discussed" a senior US official told reporters at the Group of Eight summit being held north of the Canadian city of Toronto.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said US President Barack Obama planned meetings with the leaders of South Korea today and of China and Japan tomorrow to discuss the security situation in East Asia.

Summit host Canada asked the leaders of fellow G8 powers Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States to jointly rebuke North Korea over the sinking of a South Korean warship.

"Canada's view is that there has to be a strong condemnation of these attacks and that ... We must state strongly that they must not carry on such attacks in the future," said Canadian government spokesman Dimitri Soudas.

In March a South Korean warship sailing near the country's disputed maritime boundary with North Korea sank with the loss of 46 sailors. — AFP 

Members of SAARC on Saturday pledged to step up coordinated action against the common menace of terrorism, including steps to apprehend or extradite persons connected with acts of terrorism and facilitate real-time intelligence sharing.

The meeting of the Interior Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation also resolved to step up cooperation in real time intelligence-sharing and to consider Pakistan’s proposal for creation of SAARCPOL, an institution on the lines of Interpol.

The ministerial statement on cooperation against terrorism adopted at the meeting said the SAARC member states had underscored their “commitment to apprehend and prosecute or extradite persons connected, directly or indirectly, with the commissions of acts of terrorism”.

They also reiterated their commitment to strengthen SAARC’s regime against terrorism.

While pledging to strengthen cooperation to fight and eradicate terrorism in all forms, the Interior Ministers emphasised the importance of a coordinated and concerted response to the menace.

The ministers, including Home Minister P Chidambaram, pledged to implement measures against the “organisation, instigation, financing and facilitation” of terrorist activities.

They also said administrative and legal measures to ensure that the territories of the SAARC states are “not used for terrorist installations or training camps or for the preparation or organisation of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other states or their citizens”.

The ministers resolved to ensure that “nationals and entities” of SAARC states who commit, facilitate or participate in commission of terror acts are “appropriately punished”.

The SAARC members - Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka - also acknowledged that linkages between terrorism, illegal trafficking of drugs, human trafficking, smuggling of firearms and threats to maritime security remained a “serious concern” and said these problems would be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

Earlier, India virtually hammered in its stance and action plan on terrorism, Indian Home Minister P Chidamabaram, asked the eight-member countries to share information on terrorism and potential terrorists and all forms of criminal activities.

India offered to host a meeting of a high-level group of experts to strengthen SAARC anti-terrorism mechanism, which was recommended in the SAARC ministerial declaration on cooperation in combating terrorism. This high-level group will thrash out the modalities of working on terrorism.

Notably, Pakistan, at least in words, has expressed that it wants to fight terror. Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik, during his speech referred to the ghastly attacks on Mumbai and its fall out.

The Indian Home Minister, having learnt a lesson from the Mumbai attacks, stressed that a pending convention that facilitates evidence sharing in criminal cases should be ratified. This will also allow confiscation of funds meant for criminal and terrorist activities. “Its implementation will address the common and pressing security concerns”, he said.

(With inputs from PTI) 

Toronto, June 26
Notwithstanding the diplomatic reservations expressed by it, India appears reconciled to the fact that Pakistan will ultimately get two additional nuclear reactors from China for its Chashma facility but it only wants the agreement to be transparent and under international safeguards.

New Delhi has conveyed to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) its concerns that there should be no dilution of the conditions India was subjected to when the NSG gave its exemption when the Indo-US civil nuclear deal went through. Official sources said the NSG meeting in New Zealand yesterday does not appear so far to have cleared the Sino-Pak nuclear deal.

“They have not taken any decision. It is still under consideration and discussion,” the sources said referring to reports about the Chinese plans to set up two additional reactors in Chashma atomic project in Pakistan.

They welcomed the NSG’s Christchurch statement that the Group took note of the briefings on developments concerning non-NSG states and that it agreed on the value of ongoing “consultation and transparency”.

India feels that the Chinese may have “obviously presented” their case to the NSG on its proposal for Pakistan.

The Chinese maintain that the two additional reactors are also covered the earlier agreement “grandfathered” by them a few years ago.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had met the Ambassadors of the NSG troika in Delhi and the Indian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Vienna had also representatives of NSG countries there in this regard.

India’s position is it is not opposed to Pakistan’s legitimate clamour for energy but it only wants the deal to be transparent. “We have told the NSG members that there be no no dilution of conditions that India was subjected to (at time of 2008 exemption in NSG),” the sources said. — PTI

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday arrived in Toronto to attend the G-20 summit. After an overnight halt in Frankfurt, he flew in here accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur and a delegation including NSA Shiv Shankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia is already here.

The Prime Minister would have separate meetings with US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Manmohan Singh is also scheduled to meet the leaders of the BRIC countries-Brazil, Russia and China.

The PM was received at the airport by senior Canadian protocol officers, Indian High Commissioner to Canada S M Gavai, Consul General of India Preeti Saran, Parliament Secretary to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Deepak Obhrai and Ontario Government Services Minister Harinder Takhar.