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Maldivian Foreign Minister calls on Vajpayee

By V. Jayanth

MALE SEPT. 24. The Maldivian Foreign Minister, Fatullah Jameel, today called on the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the Kurumba island resort and exchanged views on a whole range of issues from terrorism to Iraq.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Nirupama Rao, said Mr. Jameel "reiterated the Maldives' strong opposition to terrorism and said there was no justification for any act of terrorism, which is a global challenge". He supported India's efforts for strengthening the SAARC Convention.

On Iraq, Ms. Rao said the two sides agreed that any action against any sovereign country must be within the U.N. system.

Mr. Jameel also conveyed his country's position that the criteria for expansion of the U.N. Security Council must be determined quickly and should reflect current realities.

He hosted a lunch for the Indian delegation, in which the Union Ministers of State, A. Raja and Vinod Khanna, participated. The Maldivian Ministers for Tourism, Health, Information and the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs were also present.

The Speaker of the majlis, Abdullah Hameed, who is also the Minister for Atolls Administration, also called on Mr. Vajpayee at the resort. He sought more training facilities for parliament officials from the ocean state.

In the evening, the Indian High Commissioner, S.M. Gavai, hosted a reception in honour of Mr. Vajpayee. A cross-section of the 13,000 Indian expatriates here greeted the Prime Minister.

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