PM's Europe tour begins on Tuesday

NEW DELHI: International terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and drug trafficking will figure high on the agenda of discussions Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will have with the world's most powerful leaders during his three-nation tour to Germany, Russia and France beginning on Tuesday. Vajpayee, who has been specially invited by French President Jacques Chirac for a "Broader Dialogue" on June 1 ahead of the G-8 summit in the French alpine town of Evian on the Franco-Swiss border, will also have bilateral meetings with various heads of state and government present there, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told reporters on Monday.The tour will take him first to Berlin and Munich in Germany and then to St. Petersburg in Russia on May 30 and 31 for the tercentenary celebrations of the historic city where the PM will interact with several world leaders including US President George W Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Prime Minister will then fly to Evian for the "Broader Dialogue" on June 1 with leaders of the G-8 and specially invited non-G-8 leaders, ahead of the industrialised nations' summit on June 2 and 3. The Prime Minister's delegation includes External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley. This is Vajpayee's first visit abroad after his latest peace initiative with Pakistan and discussions with world leaders are naturally expected to broach the subject. India's stand on terrorism from across the border is also expected to be conveyed forcefully to them. On terrorism, Sibal said India had always said that terrorist networks were interlined globally and it should be tackled globally and not selectively. Sibal said the enlarged dialogue in Evian will primarily focus on the global economy and poverty to which countries like Malaysia, Brazil, Morocco, Mexico, South Africa, EU leaders, UN Secretary General, World Bank President and WTO Director General have been invited. Politics, economy and security would figure during the discussions at the summit of world leaders, he added. Vajpayee will have discussions on bilateral matters also with the French President on the sidelines of the summit. On the bilateral visit to Germany, Sibal said this will be the first Indian Prime Ministerial visit to that country since P V Narasimha Rao's in 1994. On May 28, Vajpayee will meet Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin, who will host a lunch for him. Sibal said India and Germany have been having high-level interaction for quite some time now including Schroeder's visit in 2001. The Prime Minister will have an interaction at the Bundestag (Parliament) with its members. Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi had recently set up an Indo-German Parliamentary Group. On May 29, Vajpayee will visit Munich, the hub of Germany's high tech industry as part of efforts to broaden economic ties with Germany. He will have interaction with the leaders of German industry and commerce in Munich. He will also establish contacts with Bavaria's academic world. In economic terms Germany is India's fourth largest partner and sixth largest investor, though investment has come down. Efforts will be taken to set the situation right, Sibal said. At St Petersburg, Vajpayee will be a special invitee of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who belongs to the ancient city with old cultural ties with India. The Prime Minister will participate in various events linked to the celebrations.