PM to visit Germany to attend G-8 Nations Summit

New Delhi, June 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today left on a four-day visit to Germany to attend the G-8 Outreach Nations Summit, stating that measures to check climate change should not come in the way of economic growth and development.

In a departure statement, the Prime Minister said he would also present India's viewpoint on energy efficiency and the conclusion of Doha Round of WTO talks at the Summit at Heiligendamm.

''Our viewpoint, and the viewpoint of much of the developing world on these issues, is that while addressing them due care must be taken not to allow growth and development prospects in the developing world to be underminded or constrained.'' Besides India, Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa will be attending the Summit.

The Prime Minister said he would emphasise the need not to lose sight of the fundamental and universally accepted principles of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities between the developed and developing world on the issue of climate change.

It was also a fact that ''more and not less development'' was the best way for developing countries to address themselves to the issue of preserving the environment and protecting the climate.

Dr Singh is accompanied by National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and other top officials.

Prior to the meeting with leaders of the G-8, the Mexican President would host a meeting of leaders of the Outreach Nations in Berlin on June 7 where they would discuss their position on global issues that are of special relavance to the developing world.

On the sidelines of both these summit meetings, Dr Singh said, he would also have the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present, including German Chancellor Angela Markel, other leaders of the G-8 and the leaders of China, Mexico and Nigeria besides UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Dr Singh would meet US President George W Bush on June 8, and the Indo-US nuclear deal would figure at the talks, but there would not be any negotiations on the issue. According to official sources, the two leaders were expected to ask the two sides involved in the negotiations to speed up the process of finalising the 123 agreement, necessary for the implementation of the nuclear deal.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said on Sunday that the US laws had come in the way of an outcome at the talks visiting US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns had with Mr Menon and others last week.

On climate change, Mr Menon had said that India welcomed President Bush's proposal to have meetings at Washington later this year with the leaders of India, China and other fast developing economies to discuss the issue.

According to the Bush initiative, India and China should also be involved in the global efforts to reduce the emission of greehouse gases as such nations were increasingly responsible for producing carbon dioxide due to the high economic growth and rapid industrialisation.

UNI