By IANS,
London : British Foreign Secretary David Miliband paid handsome tributes to his opposite number Pranab Mukherjee Monday three months after raising eyebrows in New Delhi with a statement about Kashmir.
Miliband made opportunistic use of a London Book Fair event to praise Mukherjee’s “breadth of vision” following the Indian external affairs minister’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka.
During a much-publicised visit to India in January Miliband was reported to have addressed Mukherjee – the senior of the two – by his first name.
His statement calling for efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute – made in the context of the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai – also upset India before Mukherjee stepped in to declare the incident a “closed chapter”.
Appearing alongside the economist Amartya Sen on the opening day of the book fair Monday, Miliband said Mukherjee’s was a “loud and clear voice” on the need for Sri Lankan authorities to declare a ceasefire in order to help civilians escape the current civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels.
Billed as a conversation, the half-hour event saw Miliband interviewing Sen on a variety of subjects about India, including what kind of role it would play if made a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Miliband praised India as a “remarkable success story in a very challenging part of the world” – for its democracy, economic growth, traditions of tolerance and mutual respect, internationalism and traditions of thought.
India was the third largest contributor to international peacekeeping, he said.