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Heiligendaam Diary
Manmohan, Bush keep date
T.R. Ramachandran

There were doubts in the morning yesterday with TV news channels flashing that US President George Bush was not well with an upset stomach whether the Manmohan Singh-Bush pull aside will take place at all. But all that was put to rest with Bush making an appearance in the afternoon at the Outreach 5 discussions with the summiteers of the world's rich countries. Needless to say when the pull aside took place at the highly fortified Baltic resort yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister first inquired about the American

President's health. Bush quickly explained that he experienced a digestive problem in the morning which had improved considerably by the afternoon. That is how the Singh-Bush interface materialised in the afternoon when the two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations in rapid fire succession including the stalled peaceful nuclear deal in less than ten minutes.

Indo-US nuclear deal

Before the Manmohan Singh-Bush interface at the G8 summit, the mood in the Indian camp about the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal was anything but upbeat. The message from the interlocutors caught in the logjam in moving things forward without sacrificing national interests was one of remaining steadfast to achieving its shifting goalposts. The impression gained was that India appeared to be resigned to bidding the deal adieu because the US was unwilling to accept New Delhi's three key demands to seal the deal. However, after the Manmohan Singh-Bush interface there was a sudden spring in the feet of the interlocutors who stressed that the stalled 123 Agreement was workable. What a transformation in the last 72 hours.

PM and Angela Merkel

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on host and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and said he looked forward to her visit to India later this year. The dates for Merkel's visit are in the process of being finalised. He discussed with Merkel the Doha round of negotiations emphasing that it needs to be concluded quickly and the gaps on the position of the major countries on agriculture, manufacturing and services requires to be bridged. He underlined the need for a one final push to wind up the Doha round of negotiations.

Nostalgic meeting

For Prime Minister Manmohan Singh it was a nostalgic meeting with outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair. This is the final G8 summit for Blair who has had to face the stick for supporting the US and his buddy Bush in the military intervention in Iraq. Manmohan Singh and Blair expressed satisfaction with the progress in the bilateral relations between the two countries and stressed that there was scope to enlarge the engagement.

Child pornography

The Declaration adopted by the G8 yesterday evening drew pointed attention to child pornography being a global problem which continues to grow at an alarming speed. The rich countries committed themselves to ensuring the implementation and effectiveness of the laws relating to child pornography and to taking steps to update and improve those laws. While the prosecution of those who produce, distribute, or posses child pornography is vital to protect children from further harm, there is even more that a country can do outside the realm of the legal system to combat this growing problem. They also affirmed their commitment to continue to highlight the importance of the fight against child pornography in international dialogue and encourage cooperation both within the G8 and outside.