HYDERABAD, India, 6 March 2003 — German President Johannes Rau yesterday called for global disarmament to ensure a peaceful world.

Delivering a lecture at Hyderabad University on “Science in the 21st century — Challenges for Liberal Democracies in a Globalized World”, Rau said: “Science and technology need an international exchange of ideas. That can only work in a peaceful world. This is one more reason why it is worthwhile fighting for a more peaceful and a more just world. I know that that is sometimes not easy, because fears have to be overcome and trust must develop.

In an apparent reiteration of his country’s stand on the Iraq conflict, Rau said: “ I believe that we must focus once more on global disarmament. In doing so, we cannot neglect the justified interests of nations.

“Rather, our task must be to overcome conflicts of interest in a sensible and peaceful manner to the benefit of all.”

He said though he was not a pacifist himself, he was convinced the use of military force was only justified under exceptional conditions.

“Politicians must decide on the deployment of military forces, and secondly, we have a perennial obligations to seek and find political solutions to conflicts.”

He said the freedom for research also carried with it social, ethical and political consequences, and praised Nobel Prize winning Indian economist Amartya Sen for making clear the political dimensions of science.

Hailing India’s achievements in the field of information technology, Rau said the modern communication and information technologies could be used to help the disadvantaged by making education accessible even in remote areas which have so far have been denied the benefit of education.

On biotechnology, Rau said while it had tremendous possibilities in fields like medicine, it could show how without human values and moral conviction, the possibilities of science could become an “irresponsible hubris”.

Talking about climate change, the German president called for the use of renewable sources of energy like solar power, instead of exhaustible fossil fuels.

He also stressed the need for protection of natural resources like potable water.

Rau yesterday visited Hyderabad, which is fast-emerging as an information technology hub, to cement business ties.

“India’s considerable achievements in the field of data processing and information technology are well-known in Germany,” Rau told students and scientists at a meeting at Hyderabad University.

“It will almost certainly have got round in Hyderabad that in this field in particular, Germany is trying to recruit Indian experts.”

Rau called for greater interaction between Indian and German scientists and scholars.

The German president toured the city’s fast-expanding information technology software park dubbed Hi-Tech city.

Once a city of minarets and the pearl trade, Hyderabad has quickly earned a reputation for information technology and has emerged as an alternative to India’s IT capital Bangalore.

Rau is due to meet local business leaders today.

The German President arrived in the Indian capital Sunday evening on a five-day visit.

He met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Monday and President Abdul Kalam in the Indian capital New Delhi. The Iraq crisis figured prominently in his discussions with Indian leaders with the strengthening of Indo-German ties coming a close second. Rau is leading a delegation that includes the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kerstin Muller, a member of the committee on foreign affairs in the Bundestag Hermann Scheer and Sebastian Edathy, chairman of the Indo-German Parliamentary Group.