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| Bouquets and a full 'in' tray for Krishna |
| BS Reporter / New Delhi May 26, 2009, 00:48 IST |
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S M Krishna took charge as the minister of external affairs (MEA) on Monday. Received by senior officials, including Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon at South Block, Krishna had a full in-tray on his first day at work. He made a series of statements on North Korea (which conducted its second nuclear test today), Nepal (where Madhav Kumar Nepal has been elected prime minister) and Sunday’s shootout at a gurudwara in Vienna.
Krishna told reporters that North Korea’s nuclear test is in violation of its international commitments and India is concerned at the adverse effects it would cause. Terming the clashes between Sikh groups in Austria as “unfortunate and disturbing,” Krishna said there can be “no excuse whatsoever for violation of the sanctity of the sacred premises of the gurudwara to subserve narrow sectarian interests and other purposes.” The ministry is in touch with Austrian authorities to keep track of the developments, he added.
Turning to Nepal, Krishna underlined India’s special relationship with that country and said India is ready to support Nepal in any manner. “We hope that the peace process, including the important tasks of Constitution-drafting, will now move forward expeditiously,” he said.
On last Saturday, soon after his appointment as the external affairs minister, Krishna was briefed by MEA officials, following which, he had said India needed “peace and tranquillity in its extended neighbourhood to achieve economic growth of 9 to 10 per cent.”
In a clear message to Pakistan, Krishna said its terror infrastructure is a “stumbling block” in bilateral ties. “It is for Pakistan to take these necessary steps so that all of us can live in peace,” he added. On the recent developments in Sri Lanka, Krishna said the government must address the “root causes” and effectively devolve power within the constitutional framework to address the concerns of the Tamil civilians.
Reaffirming faith in India’s “non-aligned foreign policy,” he said the task ahead is to consolidate “existing strategic partnership with major powers like the US, Russia, China, Japan and EU” and maintain “traditional ties with Africa, West Asia and Latin America.”
Later on in his first-floor office, Krishna met many well-wishers, especially from Karnataka. In his chamber, which had its share of bouquets presented by guests, Krishna commented about North Korea’s “erratic” behaviour. While he spent most part of the morning receiving a steady stream of visitors, his aides said he was slated to meet senior MEA officials later on.
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