Manmohan to focus on terrorism 
Hindu, July 14, 2006

Amit Baruah 

To meet Putin, Bush during Russia visit 

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The focus has shifted after the Mumbai blasts 
More should be done to deal with terrorism 
Energy security, diseases and education on top of agenda 
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush is also on the cards during Dr. Singh's July 16-18 visit to St. Petersburg for the G-8 summit. 

Top South Block officials said on Thursday that Dr. Singh, who would also meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is expected to raise the issue of terrorism in the wake of Tuesday's serial blasts in Mumbai. An interaction between Dr. Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao is also likely. 

Sense of urgency 

While the Prime Minister could have other bilateral meetings as well, the focus of the visit for the Indian side has shifted after the Mumbai blasts. There is a sense of urgency once again that more should be done to deal with the menace of terrorism in the South Asian region. 

After strong condemnation of the blasts from the international community, President Bush followed up his statement on the Mumbai blasts with a telephone call to Dr. Singh from Germany on Thursday. Mr. Bush, who was on his way to St. Petersburg, expressed his condolences to the Prime Minister. 

Russia, which holds the presidency of the G-8, has already placed global energy security, infectious diseases and education on top of the grouping's agenda. The U.S., Japan, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Canada comprise the G-8 while leaders from India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have been specially invited for the last couple of summits. 

In a message posted on the official G8 website, President Putin said: "This year, we plan to urge our partners to redouble efforts to ensure global energy security. We believe that today, it is crucial to find a solution to a problem, which directly influences the social and economic development of all countries, without exception." 

Need to bridge gap 

"I am convinced that our efforts towards attaining this goal should be comprehensive and must stimulate stabilisation of the global energy markets, development of innovation technologies, use of renewable energy sources and protection of the environment. We believe that today, we must think very seriously about ways to bridge the gap between energy-sufficient and energy-lacking countries," he said. 

At the same time, the Russian President referred to the issue of international terrorism as well. "Other major international issues we will concentrate on during Russia's [G8] presidency are counter-terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the settlement of regional conflicts, the development of the global economy, finance and trade, as well as protection of the environment," Mr. Putin added.