April 21, 2008	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1429

NEW DELHI, April 20: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will pay a brief visit to India on his way to Sri Lanka later in the week amid appeals by New Delhi to the world community to seek a diplomatic solution to the tangle with Iran, it was announced on Sunday.

“Ahmadinejad is coming here shortly on his way to Sri Lanka,” India’s National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan told a symposium. News agencies said Mr Narayanan pitched for better treatment of Iran internationally, saying it was an ancient civilisation, and a major country with tremendous influence.

“In dealing with Iran, we are better poised and better placed than anyone else but we do not necessarily have to be a part of a compact of certain countries,” he said.

Noting that India has avoided getting into “conflict diplomacy”, he appealed to the international community “please do not treat Iran like any other (nation).” “It is a big country, it is a major country with tremendous influence. You need to deal with it diplomatically,” Mr Narayanan said.

Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was in Riyadh on Sunday, voiced concern over a spurt in violence in Palestinian territories. “We discussed how to galvanise and accelerate the Middle East Peace process,” Mr Mukherjee told reporters after a 40-minute meeting with the King Abdullah.

The discussions assume significance as Gaza has been witnessing a spurt in violence over the last few days between Hamas and Israeli troops, resulting in a number of casualties.