HVK Archives: PM prefers to stay in less luxuriant hotel
PM prefers to stay in less luxuriant hotel - The Observer
India Abroad News Service
()
September 22, 1998
Title: PM prefers to stay in less luxuriant hotel
Author: India Abroad News Service
Publication: The Observer
Date: September 22, 1998
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has opted to stay at the less
opulent New York Palace Hotel during his visit there instead of
the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Towers.
Sources said that Vajpayee, who is going to attend the 53rd
United Nations General Assembly session, had made it known that
he would rather stay in a hotel less known than the Waldorf,
which is the New York address for royalty and heads of state and
Government. The New York Palace Hotel is much cheaper too.
Former Prime Minister I K Gujral, on his visit to New York last
year to attend the General Assembly session, stayed at the
Waldorf Astoria as did President K R Narayanan when he was here
earlier this year to accept the 'Statesman of the Year' Award
>from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation.
Vajpayee, according to sources, had also made it clear to the
organisers of a community event on September 27 that he would
attend only if there was no sale of tickets. About 2,500 are
expected to attend that event.
Earlier, the organisers, led by the overseas friends of the BJP,
had thought of organising the event as part of a gala dinner
where tickets would be sold at prices ranging from =A3250 to 500.
Now the dinner is to be held after the public event. One of the
organisers, noting that the public event would cost over =A325,000
and that "we will have to foot the bill ourselves," said
jokingly, "Atalji obviously doesn't subscribe to the crass
commercialisation of everything as it is here in the US."
Vajpayee will address the Asia Society on September 28 at an
event which will not be a major fund-raiser for the Society,
unlike when Gujral spoke last year and tables were sold for
=A31,000 to 5,000 and evoked much controversy.
Vajpayee, who arrives on September 23 morning, will meet
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the highly touted
bilateral over lunch at the New York Palace Hotel, where the
latter is also staying.
On September 24, he will address the General Assembly and has
bilaterals with Honduras President Carolos Roberto Flores,
Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama and then will continue
with meetings the next My with Malaysian Foreign Minister
Abdullah Ahmed Badawi and French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine.
A meeting has also been scheduled with UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan.
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