The Hindu : `Threat to peace in Asia needs attention'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 18, 2003

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National

`Threat to peace in Asia needs attention'

By Our Special Correspondent

Photo: N. Balaji

The former Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, handing over books published by Sri Jain Swetambar Terapanth Trust to the Kasturi Srinivasan Library. The books were received by M.P. Narasiman, Secretary of the Triplicane Cultural Academy, in Chennai on Thursday .

CHENNAI July 17. The former Prime Minister, I.K.Gujral, said today that the need of the hour was to consider the threats to peace and stability in West, Central and South Asia in a holistic manner and to "collectively meet these challenges."

It was also of paramount importance to identify the real purpose that drove the "neo-conservatives" in the West to sustain the "iniquitous and unjust international order" without correcting the basic faults in the outdated and unworkable international financial and economic system, Mr. Gujral said. He was delivering a special lecture at the golden jubilee of the Triplicane Cultural Academy here.

The lecture was organised by the Academy and the Kasturi Srinivasan Library.

Right now, one option that was being reportedly considered in West Asia was a security condominium involving the United States, the Gulf States, Iraq, Iran and Israel.

Finally, regardless of the plan that the U.S. adopted, what happened to Iraq had profound implications for the world in general, and India in particular.

Iraq did not need any more troops; what it needed was a paradigm shift in policy on the part of the U.S.

He felt that the task of assisting the people of that nation to install a democratically-elected Government should be transferred to the United Nations.

This is when India's role — as a long-standing friend of the Arab nations — would come in.

The former Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, T.V.Venkataraman, explained the historic significance of the location of the Academy in Triplicane and said the place was an example of religious tolerance.

The former M.P. Era Sezhiyan, who introduced Mr. Gujral, described him as a man of rarity in Indian politics.

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