NEW DELHI, Nov 13 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Wednesday morning started his official visit to India in front of the imposing presidential palace Rashtrapti Bhavan in New Delhi, where he was welcomed with full state
honours by Indian President Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
NEW DELHI, Nov 13 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on
Wednesday morning started his official visit to India in front of
the imposing presidential palace Rashtrapti Bhavan in New Delhi,
where he was welcomed with full state honours by Indian President
Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. #L#
Mesic is the first president of independent Croatia to visit India,
with which Croatia has friendly relations.
The two countries have very friendly relations and there is much to
talk about, Kalam told reporters in a brief statement after a gun
salute was fired, the army saluted the guest, and the countries'
national anthems were sounded.
"I have come to the friendly India, with which we have very good
relations, as we did when Croatia was part of the Yugoslav
community. I can say that they are at the highest level," Mesic
said.
Prime Minister Vajpayee said the two countries were closely
cooperating in the fight against terrorism, which he said would be
discussed more during the visit.
After the welcome ceremony, President Mesic and Croatian officials
accompanying him laid a wreath at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
Centre.
The President and his wife Milka signed the Visitors' Book after
which they paid tribute to and strew rose petals on the grave of one
of the leading figures of the 20th century.
Close to Gandhi's grave stands a memorial plaque with seven social
sins: politics without principles; wealth without work; pleasure
without conscience; knowledge without character; commerce without
morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice
(from Gandhi's 1925 work "Young India").
Himself deeply impressed with the work of Lav Nikolayevich Tolstoy,
Gandhi inspired with his political activism the leaders of today's
active resistance, South Africa's Nelson Mandela and the Tibetan
spiritual leader, the Dalaj-lama. With unimaginable iron will in a
fragile body, Gandhi inspired many Indians to seek independence
from the British colonialism in a non-violent way (ahimsa).
Many critics in India warn that Gandhi's influence in the country
has been decreasing, that India has been affected by globalisation
and the race for money, and that many are forgetting Gandhi's words
that progress does not mean having more but needing less.
(hina) rml