The Hindu : It's a good slogan, says Bavarian Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 20, 2004

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It's a good slogan, says Bavarian Minister

By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 19. "India Shining" is a very good slogan, the visiting Bavarian Minister President and leader of Germany's Christian Social Union, Edmund Stoiber, said at a press conference today.

Asked whether his comments amounted to endorsing the Vajpayee Government's "India Shining" advertisement campaign, which comes just before the Lok Sabha elections, Dr. Stoiber said: "It's a slogan everyone can identify with."

The Minister President, who held a meeting with the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said the European Union was playing a role in trying to ensure that India got a permanent seat in the United Nations' Security Council.

Suggesting greater cooperation between India and Bavaria on the economic front, Dr. Stoiber believed that India would play a greater role in world politics.

On outsourcing, Dr. Stoiber said he opposed the position taken by the Bush Administration and criticised the views expressed by the front-runner for the Democratic Party nomination, John Kerry.

"It's not fair to sell Airbus aircraft to India and not allow outsourcing of jobs," the Minister President said on Europe's relationship with India.

Asked about the recent revelations of nuclear smuggling from Pakistan, Dr. Stoiber said this was a "very dramatic" development. Pointing out that several countries had expressed concern, he argued that the best safeguard against proliferation was peace.

"The peace process between India and Pakistan is very useful [in the context of checking nuclear proliferation]." According to him, the peace processes in Afghanistan and Iraq were also very important.

Pointing out that the European Union was playing an important role in Afghanistan, Dr. Stoiber hoped that the efforts being made by the United States, and specially, the United Nations, would establish an authority in Iraq.

Dr. Stoiber was also hopeful that India would participate at the development stage of the Europe-sponsored Galileo satellite navigation system. "I'm optimistic that this will happen."

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