India, Russia, China discuss Iran, N Korea, terrorism

Moscow, Apr 13 (PTI) The Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) today held discussions on key regional and international issues, including situation in Iran, North Korean rocket launch and terrorism during a trilateral meet here. The RIC ministerial meeting was attended by India's External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Russian and Chinese counterparts Sergey Lavrov and Yang Jiechi during which the three leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms. According to sources, the meeting reaffirmed that action must be taken not only against the perpetrators of terrorist attacks but also against their supporters and sponsors. The remarks came in the backdrop of increased pressure on Pakistan to act against terror organisations operating from its soil. While New Delhi has made it clear that India will judge Pakistan ties with action on terror, China too has in the recent past sought action against the terrorists of 'East Turkestan Islamic Movement', who they alleged were trained on Pakistani soil. Official sources said the ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and stressed "that there is no justification for any acts of terrorism on any grounds." The ministers also recognised Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and supported the resolution of the issues through political and diplomatic means and dialogue, including between the IAEA and Iran. In his address to the media, Krishna said, "The current international environment is witnessing dynamic shifts and volatile trends, which shall eventually delineate the contours of the future global scenario." "India, Russia and China believe that they have a major role to play in addressing the global challenges," Krishna said. He said the 11th trilateral meeting today was yet another important occasion for the three sides to exchange views on several issues of common interest. "We also reviewed cooperation among our three countries within the framework of other regional organisations such as BRICS, G-20, SCO and the East Asia Summit Process. "I am happy to note that the IRC (RIC) Foreign Ministers mechanism has emerged as an important platform for close political coordination amongst the three countries. The dialogue, I felt, was stimulating and enriching," he said. He said within the IRC mechanism, the three countries also discussed the various thematic round tables and also ways to carry forward newer initiatives in areas where they share expertise and can harness potential benefits. Krishna also invited Lavrov and Yang to visit India for the 12th trilateral meeting. In a joint communique, the three countries stressed the need for negotiations and peaceful settlement of conflicts and emphasising strong commitment to principles of "sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity" of Syria. It resolutely called for peaceful settlement of the crisis in Syria through "joint renunciation of violence" by all sides and Syrian-led inclusive political process. The three Ministers expressed support for the efforts of Joint Special Envoy of the UN–Arab League, Kofi Annan, in the country, including his proposal for early deployment of the UN observer mission. The assertion came at a time when the international community is divided over what action to take in Syria where western nations are demanding a tougher stance against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It contended that the recent events in the Middle East and North Africa had shown that there was no alternative to negotiations and peaceful settlement of conflicts through concerted actions by the international community while pressing that solutions need to be found "without outside interference". The three ministers also expressed deep concern over the situation in Afghanistan and called on the international community to deal firmly with terrorist groups "to obviate the risk of Afghanistan sliding back to being a safe haven for terrorists and extremists, threatening the region and beyond". They said the ministers reaffirmed that Russia, India and China remained committed to a "peaceful, stable, independent and prosperous Afghanistan" and stated that the withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) should be guided by the security situation on the ground and the capability of Afghan National Security Forces to take care of the security of their country. PTI