Ahead of the ASEAN summit, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday held discussions with leaders of South Korea and Vietnam on the need for the United Nations playing a 'greater role' in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of war-ravaged Iraq.
Arriving in Bali amid tight security for taking part in the second India-ASEAN Summit, a year after the devastating blast that killed over 200 people, Vajpayee met South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun.
The role of the UN in the context of the Iraq situation figured prominently in the wide-ranging parleys.
Both Vajpayee and Roh discussed the recently concluded UN General Assembly Session in New York. Vajpayee also held detailed parleys with his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Khai on ways to double the volume of bilateral trade and enhance cooperation in the Information Technology sector.
During the discussions that lasted half-and-hour, Roh Moo Hyun briefed Vajpayee on the developments in North Korea, which has reportedly embarked on a nuclear weapons programme.
Giving details of the two bilateral parleys, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters that the prime minister and the Korean leader agreed to accord a boost to high-level bilateral exchanges and revive the joint commission between the two countries.
The issue of terrorism, the situation in Iraq, West Asia and Afghanistan, restructuring of the United Nations and steps to enhance economic cooperation with the South East Asian regional grouping will be high on Vajpayee's agenda during his three-day stay here.
The prime minister, who is heading a high-level delegation including External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, would be meeting his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Philippines President Gloria M Arroyyo on the sidelines of the October 8 Summit.
Declaring India's support for 'integration' of 10-member ASEAN, Sinha said New Delhi was looking forward to opportunities to enhance investments in South East Asia while cooperating in guarding security of sea lanes in the region.
"It is not just two-way trade. India is looking for investment opportunities (in ASEAN) and exchanging technology," Sinha, who is accompanying Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the second Indo-ASEAN Summit here said.
Lauding Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri for holding the 9th ASEAN Summit and the India-ASEAN Summit in Bali, which was hit by a terrorist strike last year, he said the decision to organise the meetings gave a clear message that countries fighting the war against terror would not be cowed down by terrorist threats.
