PM packs up again, now for EU

Prime Minister Vajpayee begins a week-long visit to Cyprus, Denmark and United Kingdom on Monday which will include leading the Indian deleg...

Prime Minister Vajpayee begins a week-long visit to Cyprus, Denmark and United Kingdom on Monday which will include leading the Indian delegation to the third India-European Union summit in Copenhagen on October 10.

Foreign Secretary Kanwar Sibal said today that the political summit will be preceded by a two-day business summit organised jointly by the CII and FICCI on the Indian side and the Danish Chamber of Commerce on the EU side. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie will participate in the summits.

The last Indian PM to visit Denmark was Indira Gandhi in 1983. The bilateral talks will focus on co-operation in information technology, pharmaceuticals and non-conventional energy. In Cyprus, which the Prime Minister will visit from October 7-9, three bilateral agreements will be signed on public health and medical sciences, co-operation in IT and cultural exchanges.

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The London stopover on the return trip will be for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair under the framework of the New Delhi Declaration. The Prime Minister will return on October 13.

Sibal said the ‘‘evolving situation’’ in Iraq will surely come up for discussion in talks at all the three capitals.

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A truck cleaner in Navi Mumbai was rescued by the police after being abducted by the father of a sacked IAS officer. The victim was held captive, given stale food, and threatened with murder. The accused demanded compensation for their damaged car and threatened to kill the victim if not paid. The accused have been charged with extortion and destruction of evidence.

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