Smita Prakash

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Without customary bad boys of NAM, summit lacks excitement 2009 7 16

Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), July 16, 2009 (ANI)

Without the presence of 21st century enfant terrible of the Middle East Mohammad Ahmadinejad, the towering personality of Fidel Castro or the biting wit of Venezuelian President Hugo Chavez, the 15th Non-Aligned Movement Summit meet lacks the glamour element.

The media room has journalists wondering which world leader to chase for bites. Ultimately the general consensus is that it can only be India-Pakistan talks, whether they happen or not, that can really be the only 'story'.

Even the once flamboyant Muammar Gaddafi seems like an aged lion dressed in orange robes and purple turban. All he could say was "We are the world" referring to the over 100 heads of government of mostly developing nations who have gathered here in Sharm-el-Sheikh.

Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt), July 16, 2009 (ANI)

Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon met his Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on the sidelines of the XVth Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) Summit for a second time on Wednesday.

The meeting was held ahead of meeting between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday.

Describing India's relations with Pakistan as "stressed", Menon said it was no use doing the same dialogue over and over again unless it deals with reality.

Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), July 16, 2009 (ANI)

The Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan – Dr. Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani – have begun their much anticipated bilateral meeting here on the sidelines of the XVth Non-Aligned Movement Summit.

The two leaders are being accompanied and assisted at their talks by their respective foreign ministers, national security advisers, key officials and aides.

The scene at the venue of the meeting was completely chaotic on Thursday morning due to an overwhelming media crush.

Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), July 16, 2009 (ANI)

Talks between the Prime Ministers’ of India and Pakistan – Dr. Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani – being held on the sidelines of the XVth Non-Aligned Movement (NAM Summit here, have gone beyond the scheduled time.

The much anticipated meeting has now gone on for more than two hours, forcing the cancellation of a bilateral meeting between Dr. Singh and his Nepalese counterpart Madhav Kumar Nepal and the postponement of the Prime Minister’s press conference by one-and-a half-hours.

The Prime Minister was scheduled to address a press conference at 1 p.m. local time, but this has now been postponed to 2.30 p.m. after the closure of the XVth NAM Summit.

Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), July 16, 2009 (ANI)

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh held bilateral meetings with his Bangladeshi and Vietnamese counterparts -- Sheikh Hasina and Nguyen Tan Dung respectively on the sidelines of the XVth Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit here on Wednesday.

Leaders of developing states that make up NAM had earlier said the world needs a financial system that is fairer to developing states, which have suffered most from an economic crisis caused by rich countries.

The grouping has struggled to stay relevant after it was founded during the Cold War by countries, which did not want to be aligned either with the Soviet Union or the United States.