VP inaugurates Ninth Asian Security Conference

New Delhi, Feb 9: Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat todaycalled for a ''common value system'' to combat terrorism or extremismof any sort as also to fight the ravages of poverty, famine, diseaseand underdevelopment.

''True globalisation begets interdependence and interdependencebegets the necessity of a common value system to make it work'' saidthe Vice President while inaugurating the newly-constructed building ofthe Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and the NinthAsian Security Conference here.

According to Mr Shekhawat, the principal challenges before mankindwere minimisation of violence, making the world more secure for humanprogress and to ensure that this progress was made more inclusive.

''These are indeed daunting challenges and this is where scholarsand institutes like IDSA have a crucial role to play... helping usunderstand better the root causes of the threats we face, theirchanging nature and the possible manner in which these can betackled....'' Expressing grave concern at global conflicts, the VicePresident said war was ''an evil game'' and financially ''a very costlyluxury'' at the expense of programmes for overcoming underdevelopmentand welfare of the people. World War II was estimated to have cost 13Billion US Dollars in direct costs, he pointed out.

Wars and conflicts also brought about financial burden in the formof peace keeping and reconstruction. The cost of UN Peace Keepingbetween 1991 and 2002 alone was 21.5 Billion US Dollars.

''Besides, there is an added cost of defence preparedness....''''The world today spends a mind boggling figure of over 1,000 BillionUS Dollars per annum on defence. How one wishes at least some part ofthis vast unproductive expenditure could be saved for the sake ofalleviation of widespread world poverty and achieving the millenniumdevelopment goals,'' Vice President Shekhawat observed.

The Vice President regretted that while mankind had succeeded inachieving outstanding progress in a number of fields, it had failed inmaking the world more secure since situations of potential conflictsand wars still existed.

Besides, new dangers were also emerging including the spread ofweapons of mass destruction, extremism and terrorism, internationalcrime, trafficking in drugs and the like. ''There are also newnon-traditional threats like global warming, competition for scarceresources of water, energy and strategic materials, cyber warfare,genetic engineering and possible weaponisation of the space....''''This emerging grim scenario poses a big and formidable challenge toour security environment....'' The Vice President pointed out that with'security' being an indivisible concept no country in the world todaycould remain in isolation. ''The nature of the threats we face today --like spread of weapons, terrorism, global warming, epidemics,demographic challenges and extremist ideologies -- istrans-national.... No nation can meet these threats and challengesalone....'' Mr Shekhawat termed the theme of the Conference --'Security Dynamics in Southeast Asia' -- as also very relevant. He saidIndia and Southeast Asia had enjoyed a special relationship throughouthistory.

India and Southeast Asia were home to many languages, cultures,religions and ethnic groups. In fact, both shared a common vision ofhuman progress, peace, security and economic development, he said.

''This relationship assumes even greater importance today.... The21st century has rightly been called the Asian Century.... Spurred byimpressive industrial and economic growth, Asia will be a conglomeratesuper-power synergistically unified in its diversity....''

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