PM to focus on terror at G-8
NDTV, July 16, 2006

The Mumbai blasts and grenade attacks in Srinagar will weigh heavily on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's mind when he goes to St Petersberg for the G-8 summit.

The terror attacks in London a year ago found resonance in what happened at Mumbai.

The government wants powerful foreign leaders to convey that there will be zero tolerance for terrorism.

Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran has said that the recent terror attacks are all inter-linked.

"We'll review the progress of cooperation with Pakistan. Showing no tolerance to terror is the only option," Saran said.

Saying a segmented approach to terrorism won't do, he asked those fighting the menace to share information.

NDTV has learnt that in the wake of the blasts, the Home Ministry is set to forward a note to the cabinet on a new security policy for the country in the fight against terror.

The new security policy is meant to coordinate and empower local agencies in tackling terror threats.

Issues on G-8 agenda

In a sign of just how important the opinions of countries like India and China are on global issues, the eight most powerful will sit across the table to discuss:

* Taking the World Trade Organisation issues stuck on subsidies and fair practices at Geneva forward
* How to secure the world's energy needs with global crude prices crossing $78 a barrel
* A global mechanism to tackle pandemics in the aftermath of the bird flu scare.

In meeting after meeting, whether with US President George Bush or Russian President Vladimir Putin, the message from Dr Manmohan Singh will be a determined one: that terrorism cannot be tolerated in any form or shape.