EU-India summit in Nov.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 11. Belgium, which has taken over the presidency of the European Union for the next six months, is looking forward to the second EU-India summit being held here in November. The agenda for the talks will include the progress made at the Indo- Pakistan summit this week-end and related developments in the coming months.

Discussions on India-Pakistan relations, however, will be in the context of the EU's views on non-proliferation and its anxiety that both countries should ratify the CTBT. The Belgian Ambassador, Mr. Guy Trouveroy, noted that the EU had concerns over the region's security after nuclear testing by both countries and welcomed any progress in the bilateral negotiations, especially the recent spate of confidence-building measures by India.

Mr. Trouveroy said the second EU-India summit reflected the importance being given to this country in the light of growing economic and trade ties.

The summit, to be held on November 23, will be attended by the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr. Guy Verhofstadt and the President of the European Commission, Mr. Romano Prodi, along with a high- level official delegation. An EU-India business summit will be held on November 22, while Mr. Verhofstadt will have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, in his capacity as the Prime Minister of Belgium.

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Section  : National
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