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| New External Affairs Minister soon: PM | | |
On Board PM`s special aircraft, Sept 12: India will soon have a full-fledged External Affairs Minister but a Cabinet reshuffle has been ruled out, at least for the present.
"Yes, I have said there is need for a full-time Foreign Minister and hopefully when I go back (from the two-nation tour), there should be a Foreign Minister in place. I think, I will be back on the 18th. And I think soon thereafter...," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told journalists when asked whether he would have a full-fledged External Affairs Minister.
Asked whether there would be a full-scale Cabinet reshuffle, he said, "You asked about foreign office. As of now, I am thinking of only having a Foreign Minister," he said.
The post of External Affairs Minister has been lying vacant ever since the resignation of Natwar Singh in November last in the wake of the Volcker controversy.
Right now, there are three Ministers of State for External Affairs -- Anand Sharma, E Ahamed and Rao Inderjit Singh. However, the Prime Minister has the overall charge of the External Affairs portfolio.
There has been speculation in the recent past that there could be a full-scale reshuffle of the cabinet that could see changes of portfolios of important ministers.
India`s air strike capability not compromised: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has denied suggestions that India`s air strike capability had been compromised because of the loss of many aircraft in accidents over the past few years.
``I don`t think it is compromised but certainly I think we have to keep our powder dry,`` he told journalists accompanying him on a visit to Brazil and Cuba.
``We have to take note of the fact of what is happening in our neighbourhood. All these things have to be kept in mind,`` he added.
India is yet to decide whom to support for UNSC: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India had not yet taken any decision on whom to support for non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
Venezuela and Guatemala are among those in the race and who are seeking India`s support.
``We have not taken any decision. I have asked our permanent representative at the UN to find out what are the prospects of various countries. We will take a decision well in time,`` he told reporters accompanying him on his visit to Brazil and Cuba.
PM for fair probe into Malegaon blasts
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said it would be inappropriate to "rule out or rule in" the involvement of Hindu groups in Malegaon blasts and felt investigations should be fair.
"It will be inappropriate for us to rule out anything or rule in anything. I think there should be a fair investigation which inspires confidence and brings out the truth and nothing but the truth without any pre-conceived notion. That has to be the objective," he told journalists who asked him whether any Hindu group was involved in Malegaon blasts that claimed over 30 lives.
On Sunday, he had described the multiple blasts as a shame and said the government was yet to get to the bottom of it.
Lankan govt, LTTE should commit themselves to ceasefire: PM
India wants that both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE should commit themselves to preserving the ceasefire before a durable solution to the ethnic Tamil problem could be found, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today.
"We are in touch with the Sri Lankan government. We are also in contact with the facilitators-- the Norwegians. And our effort is to ensure that the ceasefire holds and that both the parties are scrupulously committed to preserving the ceasefire.
"I think that`s an essential pre-requisite before we can move forward to a durable solution," he told journalists accompanying him on his visit to Brazil and Cuba.
He was asked about the renewed fighting between the security forces and LTTE in Sri Lanka resulting in the killing of civilians. |
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