Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: In his first address to the U.N. General Assembly on Sep 23, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to unveil his economic philosophy –– a caring and humane approach to reforms –– as well as his government’s views on issues ranging from peace with Pakistan to global trade.

Officials involved in the preparation of his visit said being an internationally well-known economist, there would naturally be interest in how the man who unlocked India’s closed economy in 1991 and introduced reforms views the phenomenon of globalization and their social and political fallout for developing countries.

India’s emergence as one of the world’s fastest growing economies will add to the interest in what the prime minister has to say as he arrives here Sept. 21 after a brief stopover in London, where he will hold talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Manmohan Singh’s address is expected to focus on the need for a caring and responsive government that, while continuing along the reform path, does not lose sight of the problems of the poor and rural areas. “These are matters close to his heart and I would be surprised if they don’t find mention in his address,” a senior official involved in preparing his address told Indo-Asian News Service.

The fact that the return of Manmohan Singh’s Congress Party to power in the world's largest democracy had much to do with a feeling of marginalization among the poor and the rural population –– who felt left out of the development process –– has been noted across the world.

But the prime minister’s address will also focus on regional and international issues –– the peace process with Pakistan, the Iraq situation, the Middle East peace process, globalization, WTO, intellectual property rights and terrorism. There are several issues before this year’s U.N. General Assembly –– the continuing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, many countries in Africa, including Sudan, the Middle East and terrorism.

Since last year there has been a better realization that the U.N. needs to be involved in Iraq to give the country a sense of stability and legitimacy to the presence of the U.S.-led occupation forces and the interim government. There is also realization that international cooperation and efforts will be needed for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-ravaged country.

Proposed U.N. reforms too are expected to figure prominently in the General Assembly. “The issue of U.N. reforms can no longer be ducked. While some U.N. agencies have proved their continued usefulness, others have become redundant and need to be scrapped,” said an official. New Delhi. India’s claim to a permanent seat in the council has been considerably strengthened with Germany and Japan, who are also in the running, agreeing to extend to it mutual support. Officials noted that New Delhi already had the support of several developing and developed countries, including Britain and France.

The prime minister will arrive in New York on Sept. 21 and hold bilateral talks with President George W. Bush the same day. Officials said Manmohan Singh would hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly but details were still being worked out.

Prime Minister Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf would meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, as was confirmed in a statement issued after the Sept. 5-6 talks between Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri in New Delhi.