No fireworks on Syria at NAM summit: India

Tehran, Aug 29 (IANS) India doesn’t expect any “fireworks” on Syria at the two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement NAM) beginning here Thursday, even as it again urged both sides to the conflict “to stand back from the violence”.

“There will be no fireworks on Syria,” an Indian government source said, allaying fears that Iran could move a resolution on the issue during the summit.

The government sources noted that there had only been a minor semantic change in the final resolution adopted at a NAM ministerial meeting at Sharm el-Sheikh in May. The reference to the then UN negotiator, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, had been replaced with that of his successor.

The sources reiterated India’s consistent stand that the Syrian issue had to be resolved by the Syrians themselves and without outside intervention.

“Our position remains what it has always been: That both sides to the conflict should walk back from the violence and engage those sections that have grievances,” the source said.

The government source also rejected suggestions that the summit would send a message to the US on Iran, Syria and a host of other issues.

“You should not look at the summit sending a message to the US or anybody else. No doubt there are issues between Iran and the US. It is for the international community to sort these out,” the source said.

Responding to a question on the relevance of NAM in today’s world, the source said: “NAM continues to have relevance but the context has changed. NAM was previously defined in the cold war era. Today, much of that has changed.”

As for India’s role in NAM, the source said: “Look at it this way. The summit is beginning tomorrow but the Iranian president is hosting a banquet tonight for the Indian prime minister.”

IANS 2012-08-29 23:01:19