London, April 02: US President Barack Obama walked up to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the reception hosted by British Premier Gordon Brown for all state heads who have arrived in London for the G20 summit. Officials said the two leaders talked animatedly for close to 10 minutes.
This was their meeting since since Obama assumed office Jan 20.
A member of the Indian delegation said: "President Obama walked up to the prime minister and spoke to him for almost 10 minutes."
the interaction Wednesday set the stage for the bilateral meeting between the two leaders and their delegations later Thursday.
Diplomatic sources said several world leaders were particularly keen to listen to the Indian prime minister, the Oxford-educated economist who had fashioned the country’s economic reforms in the early 1990s as finance minister.
Over the last five years, our PM has emerged as a highly respected leader at international gatherings," a diplomat said, maintaining that Manmohan Singh’s views were considered seriously by all the G20 leaders.
At the reception hosted by Brown, the prime minister said the rise of protectionist sentiment in the industrialised world was an issue of vital concern to developing countries.
Don’t repeat past mistakes
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the industrialised nations not to "repeat past mistakes" of resorting to protectionism and favoured sharing information and bringing tax havens and non-cooperating jurisdictions under close scrutiny.
An issue of vital concern to developing countries is the rise of protectionist sentiment in the industrialised world. This phenomenon is not surprising, given the downturn in economic activity and the rise in unemployment," Singh said in his remarks at the official dinner hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to leaders of the G-20 summit here last night.
However, it will be a test of leadership whether we can persuade the public that we must not repeat past mistakes. We know that the Great Depression was as deep and prolonged as it was because countries resorted to protectionism which triggered protectionary responses, leading to a downward spiral," the Prime Minister said.
asserting that the leaders of the developing countries have struggled to overcome the doubts and fears of their public to persuade them on the merits of integrating with the global economy, Singh said "these hard worn gains will be destroyed if industrial country markets are not not kept open in these difficult times."