INDIAN SHOULD HAVE GOOD RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURS, INCLUDING PAKISTAN, SAYS INDIAN PM

NATURAL WITH ENGLISH AND HINDI SPEECH

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SOURCE: ANI

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India seeks good relations with Pakistan - PM Singh.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says New Delhi needs cordial relations with all neighbours, Including Pakistan, to realize its full development potential.

SHOWS:

NEW DELHI, INDIA (MAY 24, 2010) (ANI-ACCESS ALL)

1. MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER COMING

2. REPORTERS SITTING

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, SAYING: “Pakistan is our neighbour. It is my firm belief that India cannot realize its full development potential unless we have the best possible relations with our neighbours and Pakistan happens to be the largest neighbour of ours.”

4. A REPORTER

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, SAYING: “There has been lack of adequate trust. The trust deficit is the biggest problem and unless we tackle the trust deficit, we cannot move to substantive negotiation.”

6. CAMERAMEN

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, SAYING: “Terrorism is a major national security issue but terrorism has no religion. Terrorism, if it is being sponsored by particular religious elements, it has to be dealt with effectively, purposefully.”

8. REPORTERS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, SAYING: “I have been saying for the last 3 years that Naxalism (Maoist insurgency) is the biggest internal security challenge that our country faces and therefore it is not correct to say that we have underestimated the magnitude of the problem that we face on account of the rise of Naxalism.”

10. REPORTERS SITTING

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, SAYING: “I am confident that in the coming days especially by December, we will manage to bring down the rate of inflation to 5-6 percent.”

12. REPORTERS SITTING

13. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

STORY: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday (May 24) said that India cannot realize its full development potential without having the best possible relations with its neighbours, including Pakistan.

Relations between nuclear-armed south Asian rivals went into a diplomatic freeze after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 when Pakistan-based militants killed 166 people.

Last month, the prime ministers of the two countries held talks in Bhutan and asked their officials to take steps to normalise relations.

“Pakistan is our neighbour. It is my firm belief that India cannot realize its full development potential unless we have the best possible relations with our neighbours and Pakistan happens to be the largest neighbour of ours,” Singh said in a rare news conference in New Delhi to mark the first year since the Congress-led coalition government was reelected to a second term.

Monday’s full press conference was one of only a handful he has given since first coming to power in 2004 and appeared an attempt by the government to show it was pushing ahead with policies rather than reacting to a series of crises and scandals.

Singh, who admitted that there was a trust-deficit between the two countries, said India was willing to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan as long as Islamabad refrained from letting its territory being used for anti-India activities.

“There has been lack of adequate trust. The trust deficit is the biggest problem and unless we tackle the trust deficit, we cannot move to substantive negotiation,” Singh added.

Indian Foreign Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna is due to visit Islamabad for talks on July 15, a further sign of improving ties between the rivals.

Singh said acts of violence should not been seen through the prism of religion as he vowed to deal with them in an effective manner.

“Terrorism is a major national security issue but terrorism has no religion. Terrorism, if it is being sponsored by particular religious elements, it has to be dealt with effectively, purposefully,” Singh added.

Singh said he hoped political parties would pass a delayed nuclear liability bill needed to allow entry of U.S. atomic energy firms into India.

Brushing aside criticism that his government had been trying to play catch up with the Maoists after every attack, the prime minister said it was the biggest internal security issue facing the country.

“I have been saying for the last 3 years that Naxalism (Maoist insurgency) is the biggest internal security challenge that our country faces and therefore it is not correct to say that we have underestimated the magnitude of the problem that we face on account of the rise of Naxalism,” the prime minister said.

The Maoists started their armed struggle in Naxalbari town of West Bengal in 1967 and over the past four decades, they have expanded their support among farmers by tapping into resentment at the government’s pro-industry push.

India has been hit by a spate of high profile attacks by the Maoists in the recent past, with armed insurgents killing 76 paramilitary troops in a single incident in April.

On the economic front, the prime minister said his coalition government could have done more in its first year, but added that progress would soon be made on key concerns like high inflation.

“I am confident that in the coming days especially by December, we will manage to bring down the rate of inflation to 5-6 percent,” Singh said.

Inflation is nearly currently 10 percent and is a major worry for the government as it has raised prices of basic foods, and increased the chance of interest rate hikes.