PM begins heavy agenda with meetings with G8 outreach nations

St Petersburg, July 16 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who arrived here today on a three-day visit to attend the G8 summit, began his hectic official engagements with separate meetings with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula and leaders from other G8 outreach nations -- South Africa, China and Mexico -- besides Congo and Kazakhstan.

Dr Singh, who was received at the Pulkovo-I Airport here by the city's Vice Governor Lobko Viktor Nikolaevich and senior Russian and Indian officials, will have several meetings tomorrow, including with Presidents George W Bush of the US and Vladimir Putin of Russia.

At today's meetings with Mr Lula and leaders from outreach countries, the Prime Minister discussed the issues that would come up tomorrow at their meeting with the G8 nations -- US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan and Canada.

Energy security, education and steps to tackle infectious diseases are on the main agenda of the G8 summit, while India has stated that it would take up in a big way the issue of the need for the global community to treat terror with ''zero tolerance,'' irrespective of the region where it strikes.

The meetings with the outreach countries were described by official sources as cordial and friendly as all the nations had more or less a common view on the issues confronting the G8, including global terrorism.

Dr Singh's talks with Mr Lula lasted about half-an hour, while the meeting of the leaders of the outreach countries was believed to have stretched into dinner.

Tommorrow, the Prime Minister will begin the day with a meeting with US President George W Bush at 0800 hrs (0930 IST) which would be followed by talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

While his talks with Mr Bush are expected to last 40 minutes, the meeting with Ms Merkel has been slated for half-an-hour from 0900 hrs.

This would be followed by a working meeting of the G8 leaders with the outreach nations from 1000 hrs and a working lunch for them from 1200 hrs to 1400 hrs.

The Prime Minister would then have a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Later, a crucial trilateral meeting, the first of its kind, would be held between Dr Singh, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao.The meeting assumes great significance in view of the fact that the three nations are emerging as global economic powers and their growing relations would be of regional and international importance.

Dr Singh will wind up his engagements with a 45-minute meeting with Mr Putin from 1700 hrs.

He would leave for New Delhi at 0930 on Tuesday.

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