India Foreign Policy - १३६

Solidarity Fund

During the last year, we have had several international conferences devoted to a variety of questions ranging from the programme of action leading to the new economic order, to food, population and raw materials. I shall not go into the details of those conferences and their decisions but I should emphasise the importance of working together to secure their speedy implementation and to win over the developed countries to accepting the new order as being just, fair and in the interests of world peace and stability.

I should like to repeat what I said earlier, namely, the vital importance of our setting a salutary example in mutual economic co-operation among the Non-aligned Countries. The Belgrade meeting of September, 1974 has produced a comprehensive action programme for our mutual economic co-operation. The Kuwait meeting of January, 1975 has produced a useful blue­print for a non-aligned solidarity fund. Let us implement these decisions quickly and imaginatively, for delay is not in the interests of our solidarity.

As I said at the outset, the world situation today is disquieting, and we cannot afford to be complacent. Our task is to explore ways and means by which the decisions already taken are implemented. We shall, no doubt, discuss, in the spirit of harmony and co-operation that has always characterised our meetings, the issues facing us and reach conclusions and decisions by our traditional method of consultation and consensus. We are confident that this historic meeting of the bureau in Havana will further strengthen non-alignment and also make a positive and constructive contribution to peace and progress.

Our strength also casts upon us a great responsibility. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to act with strength and purpose and wisdom and maturity. The enlightened vision of our leaders should be translated into concrete measures. A new world order based on sovereign democratic equality and devoted to peace and co-operative progress can be realised only through determined efforts.