Ansari leaves for two-day visit to Belgium for ASEM meet

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) Vice President Hamid Ansari
on Sunday left for a two-day visit to Belgium for the 8th
Asia-Europe Meeting where representatives of 48 countries
spanning the two continents will deliberate on various issues,
including financial governance and safety of sea lanes.
Ansari is being accompanied by his wife Salma and
senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Vice President will address the first plenary
session tomorrow when he is expected to highlight issues
related to effective financial and economic governance.
The leaders from the two continents will also review
the progress on the declaration on sustainable development
that was issued during the previous ASEM meeting held in
Beijing in October 2008.
"In the third session they wish to concentrate on a
number of global issues which will include the fight against
terrorism and organised crime, elimination of acts of piracy
at sea, reversal of the proliferation of WMD and delivery
system," Latha Reddy, Secretary (East), Ministry of External
Affairs had said on Friday while briefing on the visit.
On the sidelines, Ansari will meet European Council
President Herman Von Rompuy and Belgian Prime Minister Yves
Leterme.
On what would be India's reaction if Islamabad raised
the Kashmir issue in the ASEM forum, Reddy had said, "We will
cross the bridge when we come to it".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had attended the ASEM
summit in Beijing two years back.
Ansari is representing India at the summit as the
Prime Minister has obligations in connection with the
Commonwealth Games that begin on Sunday.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will
also attend the summit but no bilateral meeting has been
planned. PTI SKU
HMI