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Include India in global diplomacy: EU

EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana calls for inclusion of China and India at the high table of global diplomacy.

Updated on: Feb 17, 2007, 18:48:00 IST
None | By , Brussels
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European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana has called for the inclusion of countries like China and India at the high table of global diplomacy.

HT Image
HT Image

"It is not for me to advocate precise modalities of how we integrate new players at the top table of global diplomacy. But I am certain that we must.

"We should bear in mind that how China, India or Brazil will behave in future depends on how we treat them on the way up," Solana said in a speech to the Arthur Burns Dinner in New York. The press in Brussels was given a copy of his speech.

"For us in the West, it also means making space at top tables. At the UN Security Council of course. But also in terms of IMF votes. And why not, G-8 membership?" he asked.

Solana said the future global system would in some ways be a system of continents and continent-wide regimes. "Take the European Union, the African Union and ASEAN Plus. The integration in Latin America."

He also stressed that trust is vital in international relations. "Trust is the basis of everything. Its absence cripples the international society and may lead to serious, sometimes tragic misunderstandings."

Solana said he sees a deficit of trust in several areas: between the West and the Muslim world, between the nuclear haves and have-nots, between energy consumers and suppliers, and between the developed and developing world on how to tackle climate change.

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