PM to address UN Sep 28

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to address the 68th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York Sep 28 which this year has the theme Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage.

John William Ashe, former permanent UN representative of Antigua and Barbuda, will preside over the UNGA session, which would be attended by nearly 193 member countries.

Prior to Manmohan Singh's visit, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid would be in New York to attend high-level meetings from Sep 23.

Additional Secretary Navtej Singh Sarna (International Organisations) in the external affairs ministry said Khurshid would hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA.

He said a series of "very substantive" bilateral meetings have been firmed up with his counterparts of China, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, Germany and also the UAE.

Khurshid will also take part in the ministerial meetings of NAM, BRICS, IBSA and G-4, he said.

The official said India would push for poverty eradication "without qualifiers". "We don't want the goal of poverty eradication to be dimmed by political qualifiers," he said.

He also said India would focus on pushing for having a Concise Working Document on the UNSC reforms.