New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee leaves for Kuala Lumpur on February 22 to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, where India would focus on multilateral economic issues and co-operation among the developing countries, besides highlighting the need to counter international terrorism.

India is also preparing to counter any attempt by Pakistan to toss "red herrings" to justify terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir at the two-day summit beginning February 24.

The 116-member group meets in the shadow of the threat of war looming on Iraq, which it will seek to avoid.

Though the theme of the summit is "revitalisation" of NAM, topping the agenda of the summit would also be the threat posed by international terrorism and non- proliferation of weapons by North Korea and some other countries.

A hectic schedule awaits Vajpayee in Kuala Lumpur. During his stay there, he is also expected to have wide-ranging talks with over a dozen NAM leaders, including Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohammad, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Nepalese Premier Lokendra Bahadur Jung.

India has ruled out any meeting between Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who would be attending the summit.

On the issue of terrorism, India is expected to emphasise that NAM must have an updated view on international terrorism, which is in conformity with the latest developments on the world scene.

officials said it would not be India's intention to put Pakistan in the dock while giving its perspective of terrorism, but to apprise the gathering of the problem inspired from across the border, if forced to.

The Prime Minister would be making just a sober, thoughtful and positive speech to the summit, they said.

According to the officials, while there was a large consensus in the international community on combating terrorism, there were some countries, which resisted this and "tend to draw red herrings" by speaking about its root causes. This, they said, amounts to justifying terrorism.

They said India would not be unduly perturbed if Musharraf raked up the Kashmir issue at the summit. "We are not worried about it. They have been doing it in the past at the UN and other fora."

On Iraq, the Prime Minister is expected to make it clear that India was opposed to any action without UN approval to disarm Saddam Hussain.

While outlining India's perspective on the movement and the need to revitalise it, the Prime Minister is expected to lay emphasis on multilateral economic issues and strengthening of South-South co-operation. He would stress upon promoting multilateralism by democratising multilateral institutions, which would include reforms in financial institutions.

India would adopt a multilateral approach giving preference to issues common to most member countries.

The Prime Minister would address on the first ever meeting of NAM business forum on February 23 along with Presidents of South Africa and Indonesia and Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Thailand.

PTI