United States President Barack Obama on Thursday reiterated that the US will remain a steadfast partner for Pakistan as Islamabad moves towards peace and prosperity.The President told the Friends of Democratic Pakistan in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, that he would like to congratulate President Asif Ali Zardari and the member states and organisations constituting the body, for the important work that has been done over the last 12 months.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he would adopt a "positive approach" for his meeting with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly in New York.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday said he was 'sceptical' about the outcome of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in the absence of Pakistan acting against the perpetrators of the terror attack on Mumbai. He also urged the United States to be more 'circumspect' in providing aid to Pakistan that was being diverted for use against India. Krishna is scheduled to meet Qureshi on September 27.
Seeking resumption of the composite dialogue process with India, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said such a move is in the best interest of the region.
Pakistan's action against perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks will top the agenda of the meeting, which will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the first high-level contact between the two countries after the meeting between their Prime Ministers in July.
"We hope and expect that Pakistan will focus in a meaningful manner on our concerns on terrorism. It is our hope and expectation that Pakistan fulfills all its commitments," Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said.
The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding "an immediate, durable and fully respected" ceasefire in the troubled Gaza Strip, leading to withdrawal of all Israeli forces.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said he is not expecting any "major breakthrough" in the upcoming meeting with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna though his country continues to be hopeful that bilateral relations will improve.
India on Thursday put on Pakistan the onus of unveiling the conspiracy behind the terror attack on Mumbai and ruled out meaningful dialogue till concrete action is taken against those responsible. The firm message was sent out by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna. "It is in our vital interest to normalise our relations with Pakistan. However, we are at a stage where it is for Pakistan to determine the kind of relationship that it wants to have with India," Krishna said.
Asserting that the majority members of the UN General Assembly support expansion of the Security Council, India today said that the body would remain beset with the "current problem" unless it was reformed.
The gates of NRG Stadium will open at 6 am to accommodate and seat 50,000 people by 9 am, after which cultural programme will begin and continue till 10:30 am, and will be broadcast live in Hindi, English and Spanish languages followed by the address of the two leaders.
In his departure statement ahead of his week-long visit, Modi referred to Indo-US relations and said working together, the two nations can contribute to building a more peaceful, stable, secure, sustainable and prosperous world.
When Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari stepped on to the podium to address the United Nations General Assembly last month, people in Pakistan expected him to put forth their concerns in front of the international community, but they had no idea that the four pages of his speech had actually cost them US $ 25,000.
Underlining the urgency of finding solutions to the major challenges facing Africa, India has called on the international community to effectively implement all its commitments and assist the continent to come out of "poverty trap".
In a statement issued on Monday, foreign ministers of the three countries, partners in the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, said expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories is necessary to make the council "more democratic, legitimate, representative and responsive."
In his hard-hitting maiden address to an informal session of the 192-member Assembly on reform of the 15-member Council, Indian ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri lambasted a 'small group' of countries for trying to derail the process by insisting that expansion be limited to non-permanent category.
India on Saturday strongly rejected the "untenable comments" made by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Jammu and Kashmir in the United Nations General Assembly, asserting that the people of the state have peacefully chosen their destiny in accordance with universally accepted democratic principles.
During his term at the ICJ, Bhandari has delivered individual opinions in 11 cases covering a broad spectrum of subjects such as maritime disputes, whaling in Antarctica, crime of genocide, delimitation of continental shelf, nuclear disarmament, financing of terrorism and violation of sovereign rights.
Contradicting Asif's claim, the office of the Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Haneef Atmar issued a statement saying there was no mention or reference of India or an Indian citizen during his meeting with the Pakistani foreign minister on September 21 in New York.
A woman was accidentally shot in the head and four others suffered injuries at a wedding at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Saturday after a man accidentally fired off his gun.
US President Barack Obama, on Friday, sought a new era of engagement with the world where power is no longer a "zero-sum game" as he asked them to share responsibility for tackling key challenges of security and prosperity.
Republican Vice Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York on Wednesday.No details of the meeting, which lasted for half an hour, were released but Palin had been discussing international issues with world leaders who are here to attend the United Nations General Assembly session.Originally, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain was slated to accompany her but sources said he was held up in Washington.
The ongoing financial crisis, poverty reduction, reforms including expansion of the Security Council, uneven progress in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and Darfur conflict are likely to dominate the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly that begins on Tuesday. More than 170 heads of state and governments, foreign ministers and senior diplomats will participate in the discussion lasting about two weeks.
Sharif said that India hastily blamed Pakistan without any investigation. He said India behaved in an "irresponsible way" when it blamed Pakistan "without any evidence".
The demand for a probe comes amid reports that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabad's nuclear programme.
United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, who opened an emergency session of the 192-member body to discuss the "illegal Israeli actions" in Gaza, briefly clashed with an Israeli diplomat, who questioned the validity of calling the meeting.
According to sources, India is to present all actionable evidence against Pakistan if required at international bodies.
The prime minister lamented on the lack of unanimity amongst the member states on the issue of terrorism, saying it dents those very principles, that are the basis for the creation of the United Nations.
Modi announced a USD 14-million grant for community development projects in the Caricom and another USD 150 million line of credit for solar, renewable energy and climate- change related projects, a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Johnson suspended, or prorogued, parliament for five weeks earlier this month, saying it was to allow for a Queen's Speech to outline policies of his new government.
Modi, who will be addressing the General Debate for the first time in five years, has a packed bilateral and multilateral agenda beginning September 23 till September 27.
The plea, filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, termed the notification "illegal, unconstitutional and ultra vires to the law".
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday hours after President George Bush spoke at the same forum, he predicted the defeat of American and NATO alliance in Afghanistan and advised the next rulers of the United States to keep "their interference" in their own borders. The people of Afghanistan, he said, are victims of efforts by NATO member states to "dominate the regions surrounding India, China and South Asia."
"The 21st century world cannot be governed with the institutions of the 20th century," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. "Let today's major powers and the powers of tomorrow unite to shoulder together the responsibilities their influence give them in world affairs," Sarkozy, who is the current president of the EU, said.
'Congress is being increasingly seen to be standing with Pakistan as Tharoor's statement was not an isolated incident'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted US President Barack Obama's invitation for a meeting in late September and the dates are being finalised.
Pakistan said that the incipient United States-India nuclear deal has spelled concerns in Islamabad over maintenance of strategic stability in the region, but that it will keep the balance despite its opposition to arms race.
On Monday (September 24), New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made history as the first female world leader to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York with her newborn baby in tow. However, Ardern isn't the first to bring their kids to work. Here are some examples of kids roaming the halls of power.
The decision was taken during a ministerial meeting of the four countries on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session.
'India's preference today seems to be to exploit the deepening chill in relations with China to breathe new life into its meandering partnership with the US,' argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
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