Will G20 be able to deliver the goods for India?

Published on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 09:13 | Source : IBNLive.com

Updated at Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 09:15

The G20 summit kicks off in Cannes on Thursday under the shadow of escalating euro zone worries. World markets have been in turmoil after the Greek Cabinet backed the Prime Minister's call for referendum on EU debt deal. And now the 8 billion euro bailout has been held till that referendum takes place.

There is an acknowledgement from the Indian side that this summit is going to be even more challenging than the previous one because most countries at this point of time find themselves in different stages in terms of the recovery and the recession.

India is very clear, another stimulus package for the global economy is not going to be good news for emerging economies like India because that will mean that India imports inflationary pressure. Inflation continues to be the number one challenge as far as the Indian government is concerned.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making it very clear that there should be added funds given to emerging and developing economies to pull them out of the current difficult phase of growth and that whatever needs to be done to put the global economy back on track ought to be done post the G20 summit.

Source

Secret Service Reveals a Third Crasher at White House State Dinner

Posted:
01/4/10

The Secret Service admitted on Monday there was a third crasher at the Nov. 24 state dinner that President Obama and First Lady Michelle hosted for the Prime Minister of India. The agency issued a statement, Politics Daily has learned, because Newsmax.com posted a story on the Secret Service internal investigation that led to the discovery of another intruder at the party.

Reality television show aspirants Tareq and Michaele Salahi were unmasked by a Washington Post reporter who recognized the Virginia couple when they sailed past banks of cameras at the White House. The Secret Service took the blame for letting the Salahi's in even though they were not on the guest list. The agents on duty--three were suspended because of the incident--did not follow orders to check with their superiors and the White House social office if people showed up who were not on the list.

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers was criticized for not posting staffers at the entrance to the East Wing to work with the Secret Service to keep crashers out.

The third interloper kept a lower profile than the Salahis--who met and were photographed with President Obama as they made their way down the receiving line at the pre-dinner reception. They also posted pictures of themselves at the dinner--with Vice President Biden and other notables--on their Facebook page.

Here's what happened, according to the Secret Service statement and Politics Daily interviews with officials familiar with the investigation:

The night of the dinner, the State Department assembled a group of Indian CEO's at the Willard Hotel, a few blocks from the White House. The State Department was responsible for the group. The interloper--who Politics Daily was told is believed to be an American--hooked up with the Indian delegation at the hotel.

"This individual went through all required security measures along with the rest of the official delegation at the hotel, and boarded a bus/van with the delegation guests en route to the White House," the Secret Service said in the statement. While the others in the delegation were on the White House "WAVES" system--meaning their names were cleared and they were on a computer database--this individual was not.

"At present, there is nothing to indicate that this individual went through the receiving line or had contact with the President or First Lady," the Secret Service statement said.

The State Department is taking responsibility for not realizing the interloper joined the delegation. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said at Monday's briefing, "We've already instituted some procedural changes for any kind of foreign delegation that may be under our responsibility, these delegations who are slated to go to the White House."

There is an ongoing criminal investigation of the Salahis; the third crasher is also subject to a criminal probe. The Secret Service statement came out after Ronald Kessler reported on the third intruder at Newsmax.com. Kessler said the Secret Service realized there was another crasher after viewing video of arriving guests and matching them up with the guest list.

The Salahi incident is being investigated by the House Homeland Security Committee; the panel held a hearing on the security breach on Dec. 3. The Salahis have been subpoenaed to appear at the Jan. 20 committee hearing on White House security. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) did not succeed in his attempt to subpoena Rogers. The White House blocked her from testifying at the December hearing.

The White House beefed up its security after the Salahi incident, facing a heavy season of holiday entertaining at the White House. Staffers were on hand to help agents check off arriving guests. I was told by a law enforcement official that the Salahis did not inspire any copycats: no one tried to crash the string of Obama holiday parties.
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Source:http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/04/why-the-secret-service-revealed-a-third-crasher-at-white-house-s/
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Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Trinidad is prelude to global climate talks

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Queen Elizabeth II has arrived in Trinidad and Tobago for a meeting with global leaders on the issue of climate change.

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday to a wave of enthusiasm but also concern as some world leaders wonder if they can reach an agreement on climate change ahead of an upcoming international summit, and some in the Caribbean question whether they should remain tethered to the British monarch.

The queen's rare visit to the region -- her third to oil-rich Trinidad since 1966 -- comes as the Commonwealth Heads of Government hold meetings in Port of Spain through Sunday. Climate change is expected to dominate discussions among 50 of the 53 self-governing members of the former British empire.

The summit will also feature French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Although none heads a Commonwealth nation, the four have been invited to help forge an agreement on climate change before the U.N.-sponsored Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month. That gathering is expected to attract at least 65 world leaders, including President Barack Obama.

``Already, this is turning out to be one of the largest major gatherings of political leaders and heads of governments before next month's summit in Copenhagen,'' said Ben Malor, a spokesman for Ban.

``This is an opportunity where the Secretary General is going to drive up the momentum toward Copenhagen, asking and urging the leaders to make sure success is achieved in Copenhagen because failure would be too costly.''

Malor said Ban will have bilateral meetings with several of the 39 Commonwealth leaders who will be in Trinidad. He will also participate in an executive session on climate change on Friday, as well as discussions on small island developing states, which are being heavily impacted by rising sea levels. There also will be a separate meeting with Australia's prime minister and the least developed countries of the world, focusing on economies and livelihoods.

Earlier this week, the Australian government proposed a pledge of $46 million to assist Grenada and other Caribbean countries in areas including climate-change mitigation, agriculture and small-business development. Australia is seeking to develop stronger ties with the Caribbean.

A RAISED PROFILE

This is the second time this year that Trinidad and Tobago, a natural gas- and petroleum-rich eastern Caribbean nation, is at the center of a diplomatic gathering of huge significance.

In April, the country hosted Latin American leaders along with Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

``We have the opportunity to positively influence its outcome,'' Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning said about his tiny twin-island nation's big role in the climate-change talks. ``Trinidad and Tobago is doing its utmost to advance the process that could result in a global agreement on this crucial matter affecting all of humanity.''

Just as in April, security measures will be tight throughout Trinidad, where traffic around Port of Spain will be rerouted and hundreds of Caribbean troops will keep a close watch over leaders, including India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, fresh from an official visit to the White House this week.

One Commonwealth leader who won't be traveling to Port of Spain: the president of the small West African country of Gambia, who in September threatened to kill human-rights workers.

On Thursday, the queen and her husband, His Royal Highness, Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh were greeted at Piarco International Airport by schoolchildren waving the Union Jack. The queen wore an apple-green dress, matching high-brimmed hat, and black gloves and pumps. Later, as crowds lined the street for a glimpse, she laid a wreath at Memorial Park in Port of Spain. She also attended a black-tie state dinner hosted by Trinidad and Tobago's president.

As the head of the Commonwealth of Nations, Queen Elizabeth, 83, is expected to deliver a keynote address on Friday as she officially opens the gathering. She is also scheduled to host a luncheon for newly elected Commonwealth leaders while her husband jets off to Tobago. This is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth, which represents 2 billion people.

The queen's last visit to Trinidad was in 1985. This recent visit comes the same week that voters in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a former British colony, went to the polls to decide on a new constitution that would remove the queen as head of state. In the end, voters opted to keep the queen, with nearly 56 percent of voters rejecting the referendum.

Leaders in the tiny eastern Caribbean nation wanted to join Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, which both long ago dropped the queen as head of state but remained members of the Commonwealth.

For leaders in all three nations, as well as most of their counterparts in the 15-member mostly English-speaking Caribbean Community bloc known as CARICOM, the Commonwealth meeting comes at an opportune time. Leading up to the meeting, CARICOM launched a campaign on climate change in the region to sensitize citizens to the dangers to coral reefs, coastal barriers and marine ecosystems.

CONTENTION

But they also have more than climate change on their minds. The former British colonies oppose a new airfare tax launched by the United Kingdom. The tax designed to help cut carbon emissions would raise airfare to the tourism-dependent Caribbean by as much as 50 percent next year while keeping taxes to the U.S. low.

In addition to the airfare tax, the leaders plan to push for reforms among international financial institutions to help middle-income nations have access to badly needed funds in the global economic crisis.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


Source:http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/haiti/v-fullstory/story/1353497.html

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Q: When is a “state visit” not a state visit?

11:33 November 24th, 2009

Posted by: Andrew Quinn

Q: When is a “state visit” not a state visit?

A: When the visitor is not head of state.


The flags are out in Washington for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is on what is widely billed as the first official state visit of the Obama administration.

That’s all fine for Singh, whose Congress party swept to victory in May elections, giving him a second term as powerful prime minister of the world’s most populous democracy.

The problem is, India has also a president — Pratibha Patil — who is the first woman to hold that largely ceremonial office and, technically, India’s head of state.

So what’s with all the D.C. pageantry?

A senior U.S. official said the White House had decided to elevate the status of the visit out of recognition of Singh’s friendship and the importance of Indo-U.S. ties, and that everything was set up for full state honors — with one exception.

Those listening to the artillery barrage that marked Singh’s official arrival may have mistaken it for a 21-gun salute, but it wasn’t.

It may have been 19 guns, or possibly 17, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But definitely not 21. Only “real” state visitors get that.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (Obama and Singh at the White House)

Source:http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2009/11/24/q-when-is-a-state-visit-not-a-state-visit/

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Toasts by the President and the Prime Minister

Photo: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/slideshow/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD9C6EBCG0?index=0

Transcript
Toasts by the President and the Prime Minister



Published: November 24, 2009



Following is a transcript of toasts by President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India at the state dinner on Nov. 24, provided by the White House.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good evening, everyone. On behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House. Aapka Swagat Hai. (Applause.)

Many of you were here when I was honored to become the first President to help celebrate Diwali -- the Festival of Lights. (Applause.) Some of you were here for the first White House celebration of the birth of the founder of Sikhism -- Guru Nanak. (Applause.) Tonight, we gather again, for the first state dinner of my presidency -- with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, as we celebrate the great and growing partnership between the United States and India.

As we all know, in India some of life's most treasured moments are often celebrated under the cover of a beautiful tent. It's a little like tonight. We have incredible food and music and are surrounded by great friends. For it's been said that "the most beautiful things in the universe are the starry heavens above us and the feeling of duty within us."

Mr. Prime Minister, today we worked to fulfill our duty --bring our countries closer together than ever before. Tonight, under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership -- the bonds of friendship between our people.

It's a bond that includes more than two million Indian Americans who enrich every corner of our great nation -- leaders in government, science, industry and the arts -- some of whom join us tonight. And it's the bond of friendship between a President and a Prime Minister who are bound by the same unshakable spirit of possibility and brotherhood that transformed both our nations -- a spirit that gave rise to movements led by giants like Gandhi and King, and which are the reason that both of us can stand here tonight.

And so, as we draw upon these ties that bind our common future together, I want to close with the words that your first Prime Minister spoke at that midnight hour on the eve of Indian independence, because Nehru's words speak to our hopes tonight: "The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the great triumphs and achievements that await us…The past is over and it is the future that beckons us now."

So I propose a toast to all of you.

Does the Prime Minister get a glass? Thank you.

Just logistically, we want to make sure the Prime Minister has a glass here. (Laughter.)

To the future that beckons all of us. Let us answer its call. And let our two great nations realize all the triumphs and achievements that await us.

Cheers.

(A toast is offered.)

PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH: Mr. President; the First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama; distinguished guests. I feel privileged to be invited to this first state banquet, Mr. President, under your distinguished presidency. You do us and the people of India great honor by this wonderful gesture on your part. We are overwhelmed by the warmth of your hospitality, the courtesy you have extended to us personally, and the grace and charm of the First Lady. (Applause.)

Mr. President, your journey to the White House has captured the imagination of millions and millions of people in India. You are an inspiration to all those who cherish the values of democracy, diversity, and equal opportunity. (Applause.)

Mr. President, I can do no better than to describe your achievements in the words of Abraham Lincoln who said -- and I quote -- "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It is the life in your years." (Applause.)

Mr. President, we warmly applaud the recognition by the Nobel Committee of the healing touch you have provided and the power of your idealism and your vision. (Applause.)

Mr. President, your leadership of this great nation of the United States coincides with a time of profound changes taking place in the world at large. We need to find new pathways of international cooperation that respond more effectively to the grave challenges caused by the growing interdependence of nations. As two leading democracies, India and the United States must play a leading role in building a shared destiny for all humankind.

Mr. President, a strong and sustained engagement between our two countries is good for our people and, equally, it is highly important for the world as a whole. We are embarking on a new phase of our partnership. We should build on our common values and interests to realize the enormous potential and promise of our partnership.

Our expanding cooperation in areas of social and human development, science and technology, energy, and other related areas will improve the quality of lives of millions of people in our country. The success of the nearly 2.7 million strong American community is a tribute to our common ethos. They have enriched and deepened our ties, and I thank them profoundly from the core of my heart. (Applause.)

Mr. President, I convey my very best wishes to you. Mr. President, as you lead this great nation, I look forward to working with you to renew and expand our strategic partnership. I wish you and the people of America a very, very happy Thanksgiving. (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to join me in a toast to the health and happiness of President Barack Obama and the First Lady, Mrs. Obama, the friendly people of the United States of America, and stronger and stronger friendship between India and the United States of America.

MR. OBAMA: Cheers.

(A toast is offered.)

MR. OBAMA: Thank you, everybody. Enjoy your evening. (Applause.)



Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/us/politics/25dinner-text.html
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