Cancelled visit

President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Germany, Luxembourg and Cyprus was scheduled from September 14 to 20 and all preparations were in place, including selection of the delegation. But, at the last minute, the trip had to be cancelled since Mukherjee discovered that German chancellor Angela Merkel would be out of the country for the UN General Assembly. Mukherjee had planned the trip primarily to explain the Indian position on the NSG to Germany, but without Merkel’s presence, it would have been fruitless. He rejected the MEA’s proposal that he visit another country instead. Tiny Luxembourg, with a population of around 5,00,000, does not receive many heads of states from major countries and it had made elaborate arrangements for the aborted visit. Rashtrapati Bhavan wants to know how the goofup occurred, since the President’s visit was planned well in advance.