PM urges King Abdullah to use good offices with Pakistan

"Well I know Saudi Arabia has close relations with Pakistan. I did discuss the Indo-Pak relations with His Majesty on a one-to-one basis," Dr Singh told journalists accompanying him on his flight back from a three-day visit to the kingdom.

"I explained to him the role that terrorism, aided, abetted and inspired by Pakistan is playing in our country. And I did not ask for him to do anything other than to use his good offices to persuade Pakistan to desist from this path," he said.

Dr Sigh said his visit had been very productive and fruitful and pointed out that, apart from the King, he had held discussions with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Petroleum and Minerals Minister and Commerce and Industry Minister.

"As a result of our interactions, we have agreed to upgrade the quality of our relationship to that of a strategic partnership and this strategic partnership will cover economic, trade and investment issues. Also it will include issues relating to energy security, investments in each other’s country in upstream and downstream energy activities, investment in R&D in renewable energy resources and also it will cover issues relating to security cooperation in dealing with terrorism, strengthening arrangements for provision of information and intelligence," he said.

Asked about whether a solution to the Kashmir issue was at the top of the foreign policy agenda of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, he said the Congress election manifesto provides the broad guideline of what the Government wanted to do.

"In improving of our relations with neighbours, living in a neigbourhood of peace and stability is a very important issue which we will be working hard upon. I do recognize there are difficulties but we have to bite the bullet," he said.

Asked about his offer of being prepared to walk the extra mile if Pakistan cooperated with India, he said he hoped the world community got the message that India was a victim of terrorism, that it had a situation where its neighbour had promised unambiguously not to allow its territory for perpetrating terrorist attacks directed against India and yet, on the ground, progress had been "rather nil".

"We are living today in an increasing interdependent world and whosoever I meet, the world leaders, I convey to them, that all problems between India and Pakistan can be resolved through meaningful bilateral dialogue, if only Pakistan would take a more reasonable attitude in dealing with those terrorist elements who target our country," he said.

On Afghanistan, Dr Singh said his feeling was that the Saudi Arabian leadership had a better understanding of the predicament that India faced, both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. He said there was great deal of sympathy and support for India's point of view, that what India was asking was very reasonable.

Asked about reports that about 3000 young people want to cross back into India from across th Line of Control, he said that if there were any misguided young people who wanted to come back to the path of rectitude, the Government had to provide them an environment.

"At the same time, one has to recognize that the creation of these facilities also can be misused by terrorists, ideologically motivated people. So our task is to find practical ways and means to encourage those misguided young people who have a change of heart to come back, to enable them to lead a life of dignity and self respect. At the same time, also to ensure that these facilities are not misused by hardcore terrorist elements who want to destabilize our country," he said.

To a question about th problems faced by Indian workers in Saudi Arabia, he said these issues were taken up at various levels.

He said that all the Saudi leaders, from King Abdullah to the Ministers he had met, had shown great appreciation for the contribution of the Indian community, whom they described as honest and hard-working.

He the Embassyw as there to address various problems that crop up. "And I am hoping that, as a result of my visit, we have created an environment whereby when some representations have to be made to the Saudi authorities, they may take a more liberal view of the problems of the Indian workers. I have been successful in creating a climate of opinion to that direction," he remarked.

NNN