Keep peace in space : Kalam

New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today called for keeping ''peace in space'' and asked Indian diplomats to work closely with administrative and technological segments to help combine core competencies of nations for betterment of the global community.

He also stressed the need for India to adopt a single window clearance system for foreign investment.

In his annual lecture of the 'Association of Indian Diplomats' (AID) here, the President said that in future, the world may move towards getting material from moon and creation of habitat in Mars.

''Above all, we have to keep peace in space. From the earlier cold war era, the world has become unipolar...,'' Dr Kalam said in the lecture on 'Past meets the present and creates the future,' organised by the AID and Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).

Highlighting India's all round growth, particularly in IT, the President cited the examples of India's launching of the Pan-African e-network alongwith 53 African nations and the Indo-Russian Joint Venture 'BRAHMOS' Cruise Missile and said these proved that combination of core competencies could produce dynamic results.

''This proves that if the core competencies of nations are combined, best of knowledge products can emanate well ahead of time. This being a new initiative, diplomacy had to play a unique role in visualising the benefits of the programme to both sides while committing the co-operation and resources,'' he said.

MORE UNI