TEHRAN, Aug. 31: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said Non-aligned Movement (NAM) principles are beacons of hope, progress and prosperity for all human being.
Addressing the 16th NAM Summit held at Iran´s Capital Tehran on Friday, Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai said Nepal, as a founding member of the Movement and a faithful follower of its ideals, has given a place to the guiding principles of the NAM in the Constitution of Nepal deeming them of timeless values and relevance. [break]
´We must understand the importance of combined strength and cohesion, which in the past was utilized to break the edifices of colonialism, imperialism, racism, apartheid and many other ill practices in the pursuit of independent international relations based on merit, values and principles´, the Prime Minister said.
The today´s world is characterized by systemic inequality, unilateral tendencies, conflicts of various intensities and an abysmal division between the haves and haves not and the oppressors and oppressed, he said, stressing the need of a global approach to find sustainable solution to the existing and emerging challenges like financial and economic crises, food and energy crises and climate change.
´The Non-aligned Movement has been a hope for the oppressed, exploited, colonized countries , and is still the hope of billions of disadvantaged and downtrodden people in the world´, Dr Bhattarai further said, adding NAM was created to pursue the goals of peace, justice and equality and it should champion the cause with more vigor.
´The non-alignment should not always and necessarily mean neutrality when injustice is being meted out´, he said arguing NAM should, therefore, come up vocally and take initiative against repression, invasion, intimidation and injustices.
While addressing the Summit, Prime Minister Bhattarai expressed solidarity for the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people for an independent state.
He also called for the end of violence and peaceful resolution of the current crises in Syria as determined by the Syrian people themselves.
We stand today at the crossroads of history that has promised opportunities as well as new challenges especially for the developing countries, he noted, adding Nepal believes that an environment of lasting peace and security conducive to people-centric development can only be created under strengthened multilateralism.
He said the world has undergone a sea change since the inception of NAM, adding that ´Nepal firmly stands with the NAM members for global economic justice and a shared prosperity for all´.
´The prospect of world trade for promoting development in the poorer economies of the NAM member countries has been constrained due to the stalled process of the Doha Development Agenda´, the Prime Minister said, adding Nepal is in favour of open, rule-based, equitable, predictable and non-discriminatory trading as well as financial and monetary systems.
Nepal is in the process of resolving its political problems through the process of dialogue and consensus in order to promulgate a new federal democratic constitution through Constituent Assembly for empowerment of all the people, and then embark on the path of economic development that is inclusive, fair, equitable and just, he added.
´We have some of the wonderful features of the world including the highest Himalayan range, ancient heritage, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, rich culture and a diverse mosaic of hard working people´, the PM said, adding that we welcome foreign investments to translate our vision into tangible development,.
The Prime Minister also extended special thanks to the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for providing NAM the leadership and guidance over the last three years since the 15th NAM Summit.
Meanwhile, the second day of NAM Summit kicked off in Tehran on Friday morning under the leadership of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The second day session of the summit began at the International Convention Center here at 10:00 am local time.
Various leaders and presidents of the NAM member countries are due to address on the second day of the summit, said the NAM Secretariat.
Altogether 63 leaders of the NAM states had registered their names for addressing the summit. On the first day, 20 heads-of-states delivered their speeches while over 40 are still waiting to convey their opinions in the summit.
The summit will conclude issuing a Tehran Declaration. The closing ceremony is to take place after the completion of the leaders´ speeches, it is learnt.
PM Dr Bhattarai had left for Tehran, the capital of Iran Wednesday morning, leading a Nepali delegation to attend the summit conference.
The summit meeting is due to issue a final statement at the
closing ceremony, on various topics, including opposition to aliens´ interference in Syria´sinternal affairs, opposition to the unilateral sanctions against countries and also supporting countries´ independence.
The United States and Israel are among the nations fearful that the summit drawing a reported 50 or more heads of state and government will give Tehran a boost in legitimacy and rally disgruntled states to its defense of its nuclear programs.
The Islamic Republic´s three-year tenure as head of the NAM is a chance for Tehran to elevate its international standing as the United States seeks to cripple its economy and isolate it diplomatically over its disputed nuclear program.
Many analysts say that the diplomatic spotlight will give Tehran an opportunity to show Washington has failed to cut it off from the rest of the world.
Around 110 states are attending the conference and more than 45 states have sent their top officials to the heads-of-state summit.
The guest list included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and new Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi - the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran since its Islamic revolution in 1979.
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