NAM should be adapted to new int'l realities: Ghanaian president

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member countries should reappraise the movement's role on the world stage and adapt itself to the new realities, Ghanaian President John Atta Mills said Wednesday.

After its establishment in 1961, NAM mainly struggled against imperialism, colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, Atta Mills said at the 15th NAM Summit.

However, with the end of the Cold War and independence of many countries, NAM's task has been turned to how to realize its member countries' economic development, and how to tackle challenges such as climate change and nuclear proliferation, he added.

"This Summit must resolve that NAM will work assiduously in search of viable options that will enable us become more resilient in the prevailing international system," said Atta Mills.

NAM should "play its role as a moral force in international politics," he said, adding "it should endeavor to entrench in the international system, the ideal that international controversies and disputes must be resolved by principled dialogue and not military might."

Over 100 leaders of NAM member countries or their representatives are attending the 15th NAM summit, which lasts from Wednesday to Thursday in this Egyptian Red Sea coastal city.

NAM now groups 118 member states, 16 observer countries and 9 observer organizations.

The Movement, which includes nearly two-thirds of UN member countries and comprises 55 percent of the world population, focuses on striving for interests of developing countries all over the world.