NAM summit focus on global financial crisis

President makes statement today

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will attend the 15th summit of Heads of State of the Non-Aligned Movement that opens in Sharm El-Sheikh, today (July 15) at the Maritime Congress Center, which will focus on issues facing the developing countries due to the current word economic and financial crises caused mainly by the policies of the developed countries of the West.

The gathering 117 nations from across the world will see the re-endorsement of the basic principles of the NAM.

At today's NAM summit the Chair of NAM will be handed over to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak from the President of Cuba.

President Rajapaksa is due to address the general debate on International Solidarity for Peace and Development, that will be held this afternoon. The topic of the debate is the Current Global Economic and Financial Crises, where the focus will be on new approaches to addressing these crises that affect the entire world and mainly the developing countries.

The subject of terrorism and strategies to combat it will also feature prominently in the debates and discussions during the current NAM summit.

This is the first NAM summit and major international conference attended by President Rajapaksa after Sri Lanka's successful military defeat of the LTTE and separatist terrorism in the country after 30 years.

The members of NAM will also discuss the need to combat terrorism worldwide which safeguarding national sovereignty from outside pressure.

Sri Lanka's President has a very busy schedule today with several bilateral meetings, scheduled on the sidelines of the NAM Summit. Among them is a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon. Later today where the focus is expected to be Sri Lanka's progress in widening democracy after the defeat of the LTTE, the conditions of the IDPs in the North and the government's plans to re-settle and rehabilitate them in 180days and the assistance that UN can give in the re-settlement and rehabilitation process.

President Rajapaksa is also expected to have bilateral talks with the President of Serbia, Boris Tadic and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Gilam, today.

Courtesy: President Media Unit