"NAM is still relevant," Pranab

Jalpaiguri, June 30: The NAM is still relevant and India will stay with this movement, opined External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Reacting to United Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement that "Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has lost its relevance", Mr Mukherjee told reporters here last night that the NAM had acquired contemporary relevance in fostering cooperation among developing countries, popularly known as South-South cooperation.

" We don't believe that the movement has lost its relevance, " he stated.

There was no apparent contradiction in expanding cooperation amongst democracies of the world and NAM, Mr Mukherjee averred.

He also said as a founder member of NAM India would stay in touch with its ideals, adding, " As well as India is equally interested in developing and widening cooperation with the USA. " Mr Mukherjee said, " India is founder member of the NAM and the movement has contributed substantially in movement against colonialism and apartheid in post World War II period. We do not believe that the movement has lost its relevance. " India had been one of the founder members of the non-alignment movement and had participated in virtually all the NAM summits since it was founded in Bandung in Indonesia in 1955.

UNI