Obama, Manmohan Likely to Meet on Sidelines of G-20 Summit
US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might most probably meet on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, said media reports.
The expected meeting is believed not to be a formal meeting but an interaction called “pull-aside” which is likely to be an informal chat, said reports.
According to scheduled visit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will reach Pittsburgh on September 24, hours before the summit meeting officially starts.
The G-20 Summit will discuss the need to strengthen rules governing financial markets and measures to speed up the global economic recovery from its worst crisis.
On the visit, Singh will be accompanied by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and National Security Adviser MK Narayanan among others.
In the summit, heads of governments of G-8 countries along with those of emerging economies like India, Brazil and South Africa which represent 90 per cent of the global GDP, 80 per cent of world trade and two-thirds of humanity will discuss how to accelerate the revival process amid indications of green shoots of recovery.
Third of its kind since economic recession, the summit will review implementation of the measures decided at the previous summits – Washington (2008) and London (April 2009) – where a decision to pump in $1.1 trillion for revival of the emerging market economies was taken.
The issue of climate change, though the summit is not a negotiating forum, is likely to come up in a big way among the leaders as countries prepare themselves for the Copenhagen Summit sponsored by the UN in December this year.
India is expected to utilise the opportunity to press for changes in the international financial architecture through reforms of the global financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank so that the voice of poor and emerging economies get heard.
The Prime Minister is also expected to voice the demand for reforms of international governance by seeking reforms of institutions like the United Nations Security Council so that countries like India can get a permanent seat in the powerful panel.
