ON BOARD AIR INDIA: The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that India is ready talks with Pakistan, but not at the cost of its national interests. He said that India is obliged to engage with Pakistan as it is a neighbour. But he did not give time frame for the dialogue. The Prime Minister was talking to media persons on his way back home at the end of his three nation visit to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam Saturday.
Dr Singh said India and China reaffirmed their resolve to find a practical, pragmatic, mutually satisfactory solution to the border problem. He said that recognising the complexities of issue, the two sides agreed that peace and tranquility should be maintained along the border. On his talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Dr Manmohan Singh said both the countries want their ties to be strong and there is need to remove misunderstanding between the two sides. The Prime Minister described his week-long visit to three East Asian countries as productive.
Dr Manmohan Singh said, the Indo-US ties have entered a new phase. He said, there is cordiality, understanding and common desire to bring about a qualitative change in relations.
On the National Advisory Council’s recommendations on the Food Security Bill, Dr Singh the government will seriously evaluate them. On the Supreme Court’s observations about Telecom Minister A Raja, the Prime Minister said he has not seen what the apex court has said but he will have it looked into.
The Prime Minister has arrived in New Delhi Saturday evening. Before leaving Hanoi after his week long three-nation tour of Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam, the Prime Minister addressed India-ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit. Besides, he also had three bilateral meeting with the leaders of Singapore, Vietnam and Australia as also with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the side line of the seventeen ASEAN Summit in Hanoi. He also called on the President of Vietnam NGUYEN MINH TRIET today. At the India-ASEAN and East-Asia Summits, Singh pitched for closer and greater integration between India and East and South East Asian countries. He pressed for early completion of free trade agreement in Services and Investment and implementation of such a pact on Goods signed last year. Dr. Singh also announced visa-on-arrival facility to nationals of Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos from January next year. The Prime Minister said that India has undertaken programmes for a massive transformation of rural India which is creating a huge and booming rural market for goods and services. It hopes to sustain its growth rate of 9 to 10 percent in coming year every year . This, he said, will offer many opportunities for trade and investment. Dr. Manmohan Singh and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton had a 40 minute meeting and discussed bilateral issues, particularly in the context of the upcoming India visit of President Barack Obama.