India will be a major super power soon: Blair

New Delh, Nov 22: Drawing a parallel between 9/11 and the current global economic crisis, Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday, Nov 22 stressed the need for coordinated and cooperative approach by all nations to combat the financial meltdown, like done with terrorism, stressing the importance of including India in any reform process of international institutions.

Speaking at the Hindustan Leadership Summit here, Mr Blair said there was a shift of power to the East now and no issue that affected world, could be effected without India's leadership.

He said the current economic crisis had done to the perception of the economy what September 11 and its aftermath should have done to the perception of security, This too was a global challenge requiring a global solution ''for many years, India had suffered terriorism with too much of the world indifferent. Now we all face the same demon,'' he said.

''A UNSC without India as a permanent member, is an anachronism.

An IMF or a World Bank without a proper role for India, will no longer do.

Across the world's agenda, India will demand and will receive the position due to one of world's major powers..People will knock on your door not to give opinion, but to hear answers,'' he said while stressing on making India part of a process for resolution of any world problem.

Calling for striking at the root of terrorism to eliminate it, Mr Blair said in response to a question from the audience that the scourge would not be defeated unless it was taken on completely including militarily and ideologically.

He stressed the need for partnering with ''sensible, moderate'' voices in Islamic world, not just military, to uproot terrorism.

''It is a deep-rooted issue and we have to deal with the roots,'' he added.

About the current global economic crisis, he said there would be no solution without effective global coordination This would not merely be about a new financial regulation, but should also be about the global measures that could stimulate demand.

The fact of such coordination would be confidence--a powerful re-energiser of the pre-condition for avoidance of depression.

Greater the global cooperation, greater would be the sense of global determination and global confidence, he said.

''...there is one global movement, based on a perversion of the proper faith of Islam. Its roots are deep. It has an ideology. As such it must naturally be subject to military means where it poses a military threat. But the ultimate defeat can only come, not through force of arms, but force of ides...To do this, nations had to work together in non-traditional fields for internationalcooperation,'' Mr Blair said while stressed the needs for spreading education for uprooting terrorism.

He, however, expressed concern at the teachings in some schools which critically incluence a young person's thinking about the world.

Describing the current economic crisis as ''hellishly complex,'' the former British Premier stressed the need for ''right global attitude'' saying a ''closed attitude'' to global challenges requiring global solutions, would be futile. Globalisation is a fact and resisting it could cause a mess but won't alter its essential impulses.

In these circumstances, he said the most intelligent thing would be to open up and not close down to maximise opportunities and minimise risks.

''We should re-start and take to a successful conclusion the World Trade talks. This is not a time for less trade but more,'' he said.

He called for including India and China to remove poverty, share the S and T exploits to reduce emissions.

UNI