CAIRO: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Cuban leader Raul Castro chaired the opening session of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement summit in Sharm El-Sheikh Wednesday. The title of this year's summit is "International Solidarity for Peace and Development. The main part of the summit kicked off with bold statements by world leaders and affirmations of the movement's purpose. The global economy was a prominent theme. Cuba's Raul Castro, who will be transferring the role of secretary general to Mubarak, addressed the summit with ominous words, saying that "the developing countries were the most affected by the financial crisis and that the "international economic order that depends on blind market principles and consumption, and wealth of the few was to blame. Underdevelopment and economic inequality have always been a focal point for the movement and other leaders spoke of the fragility of member states' economies. Mubarak addressed the attendees, saying that the weight of the financial crisis has fallen disproportionately upon members who "face the largest part of its repercussions and pressures and suffering. He went on to call for "a new international political, economic and trade order - a more just and balanced order that prevents discrimination and double standards, achieves the interests of all, takes into account concerns of developing countries and establishes democratic dealings between rich and poor states. Additional sideline meetings between NAM countries may yield the most significant results. Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan and Manmohan Singh of India, are expected to discuss consequences for Lashkar-e Taib, the Pakistani group allegedly responsible for the Mumbai bombings last year, which killed 166 people. The foreign ministers of these two countries spoke Wednesday in preparation for the meeting between the prime ministers, with Pakistan's Salman Basheer stating he is willing to go to New Delhi for a dialogue with his Indian counterpart. Ban Ki-moon also discussed the economic crisis but focused attention on Palestinian statehood as well. He lauded the role of Egypt and urged action to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying, "We must urgently work to end closure and alleviate the suffering in Gaza through a durable solution based on Security Council Resolution 1860 and a halt to violence by both sides. Palestinian reconciliation and unity are also essential, and I appreciate Egypt's constructive engagement in this matter. During his address, Libya's Muammar Qaddafi had harsh words for the UN, saying "the security council is terrorism. The Libyan leader believes that the Security Council is not at all representative of NAM members. "It [the Security Council] is monopolized by a few countries that are permanent members, Qaddafi said. This represents a danger toward international peace. We have been harmed by all sorts of harm from the Security Council, it has become a sword over our necks. He also lamented relatively weak influence of developing countries on the international arena. Qaddafi, who chairs the African Union (AU), called for equality in the Security Council, and demanded a permanent seat for the AU. In defense of Iran, he said that the country should be allowed to pursue a nuclear program and enrich uranium only if it agrees not to use the material for nuclear weapons. In a surprising move in 2003, Libya ended its own nuclear weapons program. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met with the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir as well. The latter is attending the summit despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest for allegedly committing war crimes. Iranian and Egyptian diplomats are holding talks during the summit. Relations between the two countries have been tenuous since 1979. During the summit it is expected that the Sharm El-Sheikh declaration will be ratified. The declaration affirms the Palestinian people s right to self-determination and a state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The declaration also expresses concern with progress on climate change, pledging renewed commitment to combating it. Heads of state of the richest countries in the world gathered at the G8 summit in L Aquila, Italy earlier this month. The NAM summit functions as a counterweight to this gathering, though many of the topics are the same; focusing on the economic crisis, the environment and nuclear proliferation. President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was more optimistic about the NAM s potential, saying it was a "powerful assembly of nations. The movement is the largest grouping of developing countries, and includes 55 percent of the world's population. Talks are due to wrap up on Thursday. -Additional reporting by agencies
