Friday, September 15 2006 14:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Havana: As the summit of Non-Aligned grouping begins, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Sept15, 2006) said the NAM must make a constructive contribution to the new world order free from fear and war and the time has come not to divide the world further but to reduce tensions.

He said there was new anxiety in the world on how to deal with terror and the role of non-state actors and the NAM must live up to its new potential in the highly uncertain, insecured world that was prevailing now.

Talking to reporters on way from Brasilia to Havana, Singh said non-alignment was a state of mind -- to think independently about options and widen development choices -- and in that sense NAM was relevant today as it was before.

He said soon after the end of the cold war era there was complacency in the western world that capitalism would solve all problems but now there was a new anxiety in the world on how to deal with the problem of terror and the role of non-state actors.

"The future of humanity is being increasingly questioned and people are talking about a clash of civilisations, people have also been talking of evil empires," he said.

"So, I do believe that cold war may have ended and the NAM, comprising 116 countries representing all regions of the world, can help and make a constructive contribution to building a new world order free from fear, want and poverty," the Prime Minister said.

"NAM must live up to its new potential in the highly uncertain, insecure world that we live in," he said.

Asked about reported comments of the Cuban Foreign Minister that after the summit, the 116-member grouping would become an axis of evil in the yes of the US, Singh said it was not proper for him to react to some casual remarks made.

"I think the time has come not to divide the world further but to adopt approaches which would reduce tensions that threaten to destroy our civilisation as a whole," he said.

On his visit to Brazil for bilateral discussions and the IBSA summit, the Prime Minister said he found an ardent desire among the Brazilian government and elements of civil society to get to know India more intimately and to use all avenues of promoting economic, political and cultural links between the two countries.

He spoke of the immense potential for bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology, joint ventures, agricultural research and promotion of energy security.

Though the trade in the last three years had grown enormously and there was potential, the Prime Minister acknowledged problems of connectivity in air and in maritime transport.

Singh said the launch of the summit by the three democracies -- India, Brazil and South Africa - was reflective of the attempt of three nations to achieve their economic and social salvation in the framework of an open economy and society.

"All the three economies have immense potential and we have identified important areas for trilateral cooperation between our three countries.

"We will help to widen our developmental options. Energy security is a key element which figured both in our bilateral discussions. I raised the issue of international terrorism and the need for the three countries to pool their knowledge, wisdom and intelligence to tackle the problem - to which there was a willing response," he said.

The Prime Minister said he had good discussions at the trilateral meetings on promotion of cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear cooperation.

It was agreed that subject to appropriate safegaruds in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) framework, "We would cooperate in the field of civilian nuclear energy and it should be pushed forward," he said.

He said trade between the countries was growing handsomely and they agreed that they should expand options --India-MERCUSOR and India-Southern African Customs Union - to explore possibilities of how SACU and MERCUSOR that include many other economies of Latin America could bring about an arrangement to expand trade and investment opportunities between the countries.

Singh said his proposed visit to South Africa later this month to participate in the 100th anniversary of the launching of the Satyagraha by the father of the nation would be a major opportunity to interact with the leadership of that country.

He said President Lula Da Silva of Brazil and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa were tried and trusted friends of India which augured well for the growth of cooperation between the two countries and IBSA had already caught the imagination of observers from other regions.

The Prime Minister said he was surprised by the enthusiasm of business leaders from all the three countries and possibilities of joint ventures and investment in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food processing and in energy.