Voicing India's opposition to "externalintervention" in Syria, Singh, while addressing the leaders and otherrepresentatives from over 50 NAM countries who are here for a two-day Summit,made a pointed reference to the situation in the West Asian region,particularly Syria, currently afflicted by a civil war between troops loyal toPresident Bashar Al- Assad and the rebels.
"The West Asian and North African region is undergoingprofound change. As the world's largest democracy, India supports popularaspirations for a democratic and pluralistic order. Nevertheless, suchtransformations cannot be prompted by external intervention, which exacerbatethe suffering of ordinary citizens.
"The deteriorating situation in Syria is a matter ofparticular concern. Our Movement should take a stand on the issue in keepingwith universally accepted principles," he said while urging all parties torecommit themselves to resolving the crisis peacefully through a Syrian-ledinclusive political process that can meet the legitimate aspirations of allSyrian citizens.
Underlining the need for new instruments of globalgovernance to confront cross-cutting and trans-national challenges throughcoordinated global actions, Singh said these include international terrorism,proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the menace of maritime piracy,the growing threat to cyber security and the growing challenge of pursuingecologically sustainable development.
Observing that the existing problems cannot be solvedeffectively without a greater voice for developing countries on issues such asglobal trade, finance and investment, he sought new instruments of globalgovernance as the current ones "have proved inadequate in dealing with theeconomic and political crises of our present."
"Our Movement should take the lead in building globalgovernance structures that are representative, credible and effective. It is mysincere hope that the Movement can agree on action to reform institutions suchas the United Nations Security Council, the World Bank and the IMF," saidSingh to the audience which included UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, PakistanPresident Asif Ali Zardari, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and others.
He said that developing countries can be drivers of globalgrowth and that international financial institutions should, therefore, beencouraged to fund infrastructure development in the developing world ininnovative ways.
"We should also urge that the current economic crisisshould not lead to a dilution of development assistance flows from thedeveloped world," he said.
Noting that the Non-Aligned Movement has always championedthe cause of the Palestinian people, Singh said, "Today, we should renewour pledge to support an early resolution of the Palestinian question, so thatthe long suffering people of Palestine can live in peace and dignity in a stateof their own."
He underlined that in the past, "individually we mayhave had little economic and military clout but the collective voice andreasoned interventions of our Movement commanded respect and credibility. Thatvoice should again find true expression on a variety of issues."
The Prime Minister said that while NAM comes together on theinternational stage, it is equally important for it to collaborate amongthemselves in tackling problems and developing solutions that are best suitedto the Movement's own circumstances.
Noting that developing world was rich in renewable sourcesof energy like solar power, he said, "We should use our financial andintellectual resources to develop renewable energy technologies that get lessattention in the industrialised world where the resource base is different.
"Adoption of these technologies will also enable us tocontribute to preservation of the environment. We can learn from each other inthis effort."
