Review A PUBLICATION OF THE EMBASSY OF INDIA, KABUL http://meakabul.nic.in VOLUME 3 ISSUE 7 JULY 2007 INDIA ATTENDS G-8 SUMMIT AND MEETING OF O-5 IN

Prime Minister of India with the leaders of G-8 and O-5 countries at the G-8 Summit, Germany, on June 8. rime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Britain, , , Germany, , the five leaders. participated in the G-8 Outreach and , while the five Outreach Later, speaking to the media on the board PSummit held at Heiligendamm in Countries are, besides India, , , the aircraft bringing him back to India, the Germany from June 6 to 8. and . Prime Minister said, “As far as substance is While in Heiligendamm, the Prime Prior to the meeting with leaders of the G- concerned, the discussions with the outreach Minister also had bilateral discussions with 8, the President of Mexico hosted a meeting countries centered on the global economy U.S. President George Bush, British Prime of leaders of the Outreach countries in Berlin and issues relating to management of global Minister Tony Blair, French President Nicolas on June 7, where the leaders discussed their climate changes. As far as the issues relating Sarkozy, Chinese President Hu Jintao and positions on global issues that are of special to the global economy are concerned, there German Chancellor , the host relevance to the developing world. is a general feeling that the world economy is of the summit. The meeting was held on June 7 in Berlin. doing quite well, certainly the people talk Speaking at the G-8 Outreach Summit on Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister about the global economy, they talk of the June 8, the Prime Minister made a strong Manmohan Singh said developing countries dynamic role played by China, Brazil and pitch for burden sharing among all countries must be treated as “partners and not peti- India.” in the global efforts to control climate tioners” in the changed global scenario, Singh added: “This is a new reality which changes. “The process of burden sharing especially while dealing with key geopolitical the developed countries respect and they must be fair,” he said. “It should take into issues. He further said it was essential that recognise there could be no meaningful man- account where the primary responsibility for rich nations took the views of developing agement of the global issues in which India, the present levels of GHG (green house gas) countries seriously and treated them as China and other emerging countries... are concentration rests and not perpetuate stakeholders. The meeting, ahead of the out- not involved.” poverty among the developing countries. No reach summit with the G-8, also discussed Following this year’s summit, the G-8 and strategy should foreclose for them the possi- how the five countries could push South- the five outreach allies pledged to continue bilities of accelerated social and economic South cooperation in various issues of glob- their dialogue on key issues, including development,” he added, mentioning that al importance. investment and energy efficiency in a more India’s GHG emissions are among the lowest Climate change, the Doha Development structured manner under what is being called in per-capita terms. Round of global trade talks and inclusive the Heiligendamm Process. The influential G-8 comprises U.S., growth were among the issues discussed by Continued on page 2 G-8 SUMMIT India attends G-8 Summit and meeting of O-5 in Germany Continued from page 1 Under the Heiligendamm Process, pro- posed by Chancellor Merkel, the outreach partners will continue to discuss and review progress in four key areas till the 2009 sum- mit in Italy — cross-border investment, research, development and energy efficiency. In a joint statement issued after the G-8 Outreach Summit, the two sides said: “We commit to embark on a high-level dialogue on specific challenges as proposed by the G- 8 as a follow-up to continue discussions in a more structured manner for a period of two years until the G-8 Summit in 2009.” The engagement between G-8 and the outreach partners has been more informal in nature which some of the members now want to institutionalise. In energy, the two sides said they would not only promote cost-effective use of fossil fuels Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing at a meeting with the leaders of Outreach Countries (O-5) and clean coal technology, but also increase during the G-8 Summit at Berlin in Germany on June 7. the use of renewable energy sources. They also committed themselves to the ‘G-5’ leaders propose a separate summit UN Framework Convention on Climate razilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has proposed that the group of outreach Change and said they would also follow the Ballies (G-5) — India, Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa — get together again at principles of common but differentiated a forum other than that of the G-8 so that its own meetings are no longer incidental to the responsibilities. meetings and agenda of the eight most industrialised countries. Welcoming the proposal, Coming to global governance, the five out- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, quoting Jawaharlal Nehru, said that developing coun- reach countries reiterated the need to make tries were partners and not petitioners before the chanceries of the world. The five agreed the structures of global governance more to instruct their foreign ministers to meet this autumn on the sidelines of the U.N. General democratic, representative and legitimate by Assembly to “coordinate their positions” on issues of common interest. The idea is not to increasing the participation of developing stop engaging with the G8 but to explore the full range of issues that the G5 can work on countries in the decision-making bodies of itself. ! multilateral institutions. !

PM’s Intervention on Climate Change at Heiligendamm Meeting of G8 plus 5, June 8, 2007 Madam Chancellor, Dear Colleagues, We must work together to find pragmatic, opment processes. I must thank you for raising this issue, of practical solutions, which are for the benefit Adaptation is the key for developing such significance for us and our future gen- of entire humankind. These should include countries. It needs to be adequately erations. We all have a vested interest in mitigation and adaptation strategies with fair resourced without detracting funds meant making our planet secure for our children burden sharing and measures to realize sus- for development, which, in any case, is the and grandchildren. India’s GHG emissions tainable patterns of consumption and pro- best form of adaptation. are among the lowest in per-capita terms. duction. The determination of any particular stabi- Moreover, being only around 4% of the The process of burden sharing must be lization goal and the time-frame in which it world’s emissions, action by us will have a fair. It should take into account where the should be achieved needs to be made at the marginal effect on overall emissions. primary responsibility for the present levels United Nations Framework Convention on Nonetheless we recognize wholeheartedly of GHG concentration rests and not perpet- Climate Change. our responsibilities as a developing country. uate poverty among the developing coun- This should be preceded by a scientific We wish to engage constructively and pro- tries. No strategy should foreclose for them consensus on impacts at different levels of ductively with the international community the possibilities of accelerated social and GHG going beyond the current IPCC find- and to add our weight to global efforts to economic development. ings, which still document many uncertain- preserve and protect the environment. The principle of common but differentiat- ties. We are determined that India’s per capita ed responsibility and respective capability is It is important that critical and promising GHG emissions are not going to exceed very important. clean technologies are made affordable for those of developed countries even while The time is not ripe for developing coun- developing countries, where there is large pursuing policies of development and eco- tries to take quantitative targets as these reliance on fossil fuels. nomic growth. would be counter-productive on their devel- Continued on page3

2 I N D I A R E V I E W J U L Y 2 0 0 7 h t t p : / / m e a k a b u l . n i c . i n G-8 SUMMIT Joint Statement by the G-8, G-5 countries in Germany oday’s purposeful discussions In this exchange we also need to consider structively participate in the negotiations between the G8 and Brazil, China, the protection of IPRs in conjunction with on a comprehensive agreement at the T India, Mexico and South Africa mark common good of human kind for the pur- UNFCCC Conference in Indonesia in an important step towards an equal and poses of protecting the environment and December 2007. enduring partnership for building the frame- supporting public health. work conditions of a globalized and compet- In this regard, we recall the Doha Energy itive world economy. Declaration on the TRIPs Agreement and We recognize the need for closer, more In a globalizing world, we have to look public health. practical and result-oriented regional and beyond national and regional boundaries and We affirm our commitment for further international cooperation in the energy sec- work together. cooperation in capacity building, human tor, especially in ensuring secure and afford- Towards this endeavour, we commit to resource development and public awareness able supplies of energy as well as in improv- cooperate in the following fields: programmes in the field of intellectual prop- ing energy efficiency and the access to — Promoting Cross Border Investment to erty. advanced and affordable energy technolo- our Mutual Benefit: gies. We recognize that cross-border direct Fighting Climate Change We confirm our commitment to promote investment is a major factor shaping the We face serious challenges in tackling cli- energy efficiency, through cost-effective world's economy. mate change and achieving sustainable solutions, to advance the effective use of fos- Such inflows can make a major positive development globally. sil fuels, such as the clean coal technology, contribution to economic growth and sus- We reaffirm our commitment to the United and to increase the use of cleaner and renew- tainable development. Nations Framework Convention on Climate able energy sources, such as biofuels and We share a common interest in promoting Change (UNFCCC) and to its objective biomass, as an important step towards investment and to safeguard and further through both mitigation and adaptation in secure, stable and competitive energy sup- develop a sound global investment environ- accordance with our common but differenti- plies for achieving sustainable development. ment. ated responsibilities and respective capabili- To this end, we shall work together to pro- ties. Development, particularly in Africa mote more favourable conditions in our On this basis and taking into account the We reiterate our commitment to the countries for investment, both domestic and scientific knowledge as represented in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), foreign, with the aim of fostering economic recent IPCC reports, we remain committed to the eradication of poverty and sustainable growth and sustainable development. contribute our fair share to tackle climate global development. This may also include the encouragement change in order to stabilize green house gas In view of our responsibility regarding the of responsible business conduct. concentrations at a level that would prevent challenges of development we shall strength- dangerous anthropogenic interference with en cooperation and coordination between us Promoting Research and Innovation the climate system. to achieve these goals. Strategies to encourage and support To this end we need a flexible, fair and We commit to embark on a high-level dia- research and innovation are key elements for effective global framework and concerted logue on specific challenges as proposed by future sustainable development of our international action. the G8 (Heiligendamm Process) as a follow economies. We underline the crucial role of economic up to continue our discussion in a more In this context, we underline the impor- incentives, in particular by carbon markets, structured manner for a period of two years tance of integrating the promotion and pro- for the necessary investments in climate until the G8 Summit in 2009 where we will tection of innovation in our national policies friendly technologies at large scale. review the progress made on the following and legislation. The adaptation to climate change will be a issues: We encourage a positive exchange of views major challenge for all countries, in particu- — Promoting cross border investment to on international experiences related to the lar for developing countries, and means for our mutual benefit, crucial role and economic value of intellectu- adaptation need to be included in a future — Promoting Research and Innovation, al property rights (IPR) protection and imple- agreement along with enhanced technology Development, particularly Africa, and mentation of agreed international IPR pro- cooperation and financing. — Sharing Knowledge for improving tection standards. We call on all parties to actively and con- Energy Efficiency. !

PM’s intervention on Climate Change at Heiligendamm Meeting of G8 and G5, June 8, 2007 Continued from page 2 nologies and investment. Let us leave Heiligendamm determined to The IPR regime should balance rewards The Clean Development Mechanism continue our exchanges and to invigorate for innovators with the common good of (CDM) has worked well and needs to be the existing fora where these issues are humankind. expanded to include approvals for program- being negotiated. In the meantime, our rep- We also believe that the carbon market matic approaches. Enhanced level of GHG resentatives could continue informal discus- has a significant role to play in tackling cli- abatement commitments by the developed sions way to carry forward our dialogue and mate change and that we should spur private countries would significantly stimulate CDM build on what we believe in common. sector involvement in climate related tech- projects. Thank you. !

h t t p : / / m e a k a b u l . n i c . i n I N D I A R E V I E W J U L Y 2 0 0 7 3 AFGHAN NEWS India offers technical assistance to AAAS he establishment of an Afghanistan To take the idea forward, recently a five- Academy of Agricultural Sciences member team from NAAS, New Delhi, led by T (AAAS) is one of the cherished goals Prof. M.L. Madan, Secretary, NAAS and of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, as a Vice-Chancellor, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay means towards reforming the agricultural Veterinary University, Mathura, Uttar research sector in Afghanistan, crippled Pradesh, visited Kabul, May 15-22, in con- severely over the long years of conflict and nection with the establishment of the AAAS. strife. The other members were Dr. R.K. Singh, The genesis of the idea goes back to Ex-Director (Research), Nand Education November last year when President Karzai Foundation for Rural Development, participated in the Indo-Afghanistan Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, Dr. S.P. Ghosh, Ex- Symposium on “Converting Deserts into DDG (Horticulture), Indian Council for Oasis”, at the National Academy of (From Left) Dr. S.P Ghosh, Dr. R.K Singh and Prof. M.L Agriculture Research and Food and Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi, Madan gifting books on agriculture to Afghan Minister Agriculture Organisation expert, Dr. Farid and zeroed in on the strong imperative for of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Obaidullah Waliya, Principal Scientist, International strengthening agricultural research in Ramin (second from right). Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Afghanistan. ers and farming systems in particular, as well Tropics, Hyderabad and Dr. P.S. Pathak, Following this, the Indo-Afghan Joint as management of natural resources and agri- Forestry and Fodder Expert. Committee arrived at a conclusion to recom- culture sector in general. During the visit, the delegation had wide- mend establishment of a dedicated organisa- The AAAS would be under the patronage ranging meetings with leadership of Afghan tion to strengthen the national agricultural of the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture as well as Ministries research system in Afghanistan. Irrigation and Livestock to organise and of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and The main aim of the proposed organisation supervise research institutes within the Energy and Water. will be to cater to the needs of Afghan farm- country. Continued on page 5

India provides fortified biscuits to 1.4 mn school children ndian Embassy in Kabul recently organ- quarter of the total of 6 million children ised the high-protein biscuit distribution enrolled in schools country-wide) in the I ceremony at Feroz Nakhshir Boys most remote, poverty stricken areas, where school and Naswan Girls school in the back- enrolment is low. The aim is to prompt par- ward northern province of Samangan in ents to send their children to schools, alle- Afghanistan. “Healthy and strong children viate short-term hunger, improve education today will make a healthy and strong and nutritional health of Afghan students as Afghanistan tomorrow” was the message also of reducing the gender gap among projected by Indian Ambassador Rakesh school children. (In the last 5 years, the Sood. The ceremony held on June 27 also overall ratio of girls at schools has risen saw the participation of the Afghan from 3 to 6 girls for every 10 boys). Since Education Minister Hanif Atmar, affirming November 2002, around 57,000 tonnes of the commitment of the Ministry of biscuits supplied by India have been distrib- Education to the school feeding pro- uted in four tranches. School kids in 31 gramme, Richard W. Corsino, Country provinces and around 210 districts in Director, World Food Programme, that Afghanistan are beneficiaries of the project. administers the programme and Governor School girls at Naswan Girls school at Samangan, The three excluded provinces are Kabul and of Samangan Abdul Haq Shafaq. Afghanistan, with their protein biscuit packets Panjsher — which are less vulnerable in and pencil boxes. Afghanistan faces a chronic food shortage terms of food security, as well as Bagdhis — after long periods of strife, instability and biscuits, fortified with micro-nutrients that where a separate nutrition programme is natural disasters. Despite international boost a child’s nutrition, reduce short-term being run by a NGO. efforts, a large populace still lives in acute hunger and enhance the ability to concen- At the biscuit distribution ceremony in poverty. As part of the post conflict relief trate and benefit from the learning impart- Feroz Nakhchir Boys school, the 450 school and rehabilitation efforts, India has been a ed. The $100-million programme is the children, teachers and village elders braving major contributor to the WFP’s On-site largest humanitarian assistance programme the soaring temperature and dust storm, School Feeding Programme. In October, being undertaken by India in partnership spilled out of the massive colourful tent put 2001, the Indian Government approved the with WFP in the country, with the distribu- up in the school courtyard to witness the donation of 1 million tonnes of wheat for tion of 100 gm of high protein biscuits daily ceremony and listen to the dignitaries. Afghanistan, which is then converted into to 1.4 million school children (almost a Continued on page 5

4 I N D I A R E V I E W J U L Y 2 0 0 7 h t t p : / / m e a k a b u l . n i c . i n AFGHAN NEWS Afghanistan takes part in SAFMA meeting at Shimla t was a heady mix of politicians and media personalities at the two-day meeting of Excerpts from Shimla I South Asian Free Media Association Declaration of SAFMA (SAFMA) Parliamentary Forum at Shimla. At the June 2-3 gathering, a 14-member delega- ! This is a historic moment when the peo- tion from Afghanistan with six members of ple of South Asia have become conscious Wolesi Jirga (lower house of Afghan parlia- of their new tryst with destiny. ment) and eight journalists were in the thick of ! We urge all our states to simultaneous- action in the meeting. Samander, Secretary ly move forward to address long-standing General of SAFMA-Afghanistan Chapter was political disputes through peaceful means. quite nostalgic about the trip and elated about ! A system of connectivity will have to be the experience. He observed, “For us a visit to constructed especially for the railways and India is always memorable. But here is an SAFMA meeting in progress at Shimla. the truckers will have to be issued special occasion we could combine business with Human Rights Code, specific policy actions permits. pleasure by visiting one of most popular sum- on energy cooperation, cross border coopera- ! Countering the widespread threat of mer hill stations in India.” tion in fighting the menace of terrorism, etc. terrorism, the SAARC countries must With the formal inauguration of the SAFMA Afghan delegates found the proceedings implement the current protocol for coop- Chapter in Kabul on May 30, the Afghan del- very lively and an exposure to cherish. Noor eration against terrorism and bring it in egation made their maiden official appearance Akbari, one of the Afghan parliamentarians line with the international norms. at the Shimla gathering. Afghanistan media, and a frequent visitor to India, found the meet ! The regional efforts against terrorism experiencing a tremendous growth since the useful to catch up with some acquaintances must also include measures to combat the fall of the tyrant regime of Taliban, is now for- and an opportunity to make new acquaintanc- spread of small arms and light weapons, mally reaching out to its South Asian media es. For Samander, it was an unusual experi- narcotics trafficking, smuggling, organized brethren. ence offering the tough challenge of handling crimes and criminal mafias. The Shimla meet is a build up on the media and politics at such a large forum. ! This will require exchanges and interac- Bhurban Declaration adopted at the end of Halim Fidai, President of SAFMA, tion between the national intelligence and first meeting of South Asian Parliament meet- Afghanistan Chapter, was very appreciative of security agencies with their counterparts ing held in May, 2005 in Punjab, Pakistan. India’s active support for Afghanistan joining across the border and greater interaction With the focal theme of ‘South Asian SAARC and the traditionally cordial relations between the armed forces and military Parliament: towards South Asian Unity’, the between the two countries. establishments in the region. Shimla meeting witnessed participation of a “SAFMA Afghanistan Chapter, though offi- ! To overcome information deficit in the wide spectrum of political personalities and cially started only last week”, a confident Fidai region, it is essential that all restrictions on prominent media representatives from all over said, “is going to add a new chapter both access to and free and uninterrupted flow the South Asian region. physically and substantially to SAFMA in par- of information are removed forthwith. The meeting deliberated on topics from ticular and SAARC in general. Our participa- Media persons and products should be overarching theme of regional cooperation to tion in the Shimla meet is only a small step in allowed free movement across frontiers. specific issues like water sharing, South Asian this direction.” India offers assistance to AAAS India provides fortified biscuits Continued from page 4 Continued from page 4 Inputs were also sought from international organisations like Minister Atmar welcomed the protein biscuit distribution pro- Food and Agriculture Organisation, International Centre for gramme led by India, maintaining that the nutrition provided will help Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, International Centre for in making children more active and boost their overall development. Potatoes. Sectoral working groups were formed to discuss the over- Ambassador Sood reaffirmed India’s commitment to continuing the all framework of AAAS in the fields of crop improvement, R&D pro- protein biscuit distribution programme as a valuable means towards grammes in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, livestock, reviving the crippled education sector in the country. WFP Country forestry and natural resource management, etc. Director Corsino, on his part, welcomed the timely arrival of biscuits. The team also undertook site visits to research farms at The Samangan Governor Shafaq appealed to the community elders to Badambagh and Binihesar, vegetable farm at Qaragah, key agricul- send more and more children to schools to benefit from the pro- tural and animal husbandry cooperatives as well as Afghanistan gramme. Academy of Sciences. Based on the deliberations and the outcomes At the Naswan Girls school too, the ambience was hugely uplifting. of the meetings and working groups, the Indian team will shortly be It was the first time that the school was receiving Ministerial-level submitting its concept plan for AAAS, to be taken up appropriate- dignitaries, and it had pull out all the stops in according an appro- ly by the Afghan side. priate welcome. Watching the smiling faces of school children, President Karzai’s worthwhile goal for reform in the vital agricul- framed against the afternoon sun, it was not hard to figure out why tural research sector may, then, not be too far from being realised the protein biscuit distribution programme is considered the most plurality. ! visible symbol of partnership between India and Afghanistan. ! h t t p : / / m e a k a b u l . n i c . i n I N D I A R E V I E W J U L Y 2 0 0 7 5 BOLLYWOOD

IrrfanIrrfan Khan:Khan: India’sIndia’s truetrue internationalinternational starstar

alent unlimited... that’s perhaps the Indeed ‘A Mighty Heart’ is a triumph for take him to very far in life is his talent and his apt way to describe the critically this versatile actor. down to earth nature. No amount of success T acclaimed Irrfan Khan. He is the first However, Irrfan is not an unfamiliar name goes to his head. He is a very grounded per- Indian actor to receive ‘the much wanted’ in the global film circuit. In 2001 his ‘The son,” Anurag Basu, who worked with him in attention while walking the red carpet with Warrior’, a historical film made by London- ‘Metro’, said. Hollywood celebrities Angelina Jolie and based director Asif Kapadia, stormed into He has one more international project Brad Pitt at the recent Cannes Film Festival. international film festivals and made people called ‘Partition’ in his kitty. Directed by Having regaled Indian audience with his take notice of him. Canadian director Vic Sarin, the film stars powerful performances in ‘Maqbool’, ‘Yun His colleagues feel that Irrfan’s grounded Jimi Mistry and Neve Campbell. Hota To Kya Hota’ and ‘Metro’, the actor personality is the key to his success. Recently, Irrfan won accolades for his yet tried to explore new terrain with directed “There is a thing about Irrfan which will another powerful performance in U.S.-based Michael Winterbottoms’ docu-drama ‘A Indian filmmaker Mira Nair’s ‘The Mighty Heart’ based on the life of the slain Namesake’, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s best- Wall Streer Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. selling novel. If Jolie, who plays Daniel’s wife in the film, Next on his wish list is to find a foothold got rave reviews for her performance, Irrfan in Bollywood masala films. too could manage to please all and sundry “For me it’s important to be commercially and the scribes gave him full marks for etch- viable. The distributors should be willing to ing out the role of the head of a Pakistani pay for my space. I still have very limited counter-terrorism unit with perfection. choice... So what’s the point of being known James Rocchi of cinematical.com wrote in as a good actor when you need to be recog- his review: “A special praise has to go to nised as commercially saleable? I want a bet- Irrfan Khan. His character is the head of the ter deal,” said Irrfan. new Pakistani anti-terrorism unit, and he’s a But at the same time, he is looking forward man torn between the public pronounce- to churn out more milestones like ‘Maqbool’, ments of support for the West’s initiatives ‘Warrior’, ‘Haasil’ and ‘Namesake’. and the labyrinthine power-struggles of his He said: “It’s been a long journey. But I’ve government and massive public support for a long way to go. I’m happy with life. My wife radical Islamic action. He is the face of a new is writing for Rituparno Ghosh and Bela kind of power in Pakistan, and his every line, Bhansali. I’ve two kids, aged eight and three. every motion has the coiled power of a punch I'm enjoying watching them grow. No experi- about to land, even in stillness.’ ence can match that.” !

6 I N D I A R E V I E W J U L Y 2 0 0 7 h t t p : / / m e a k a b u l . n i c . i n