THe 12th non-aligned summit concluded in Durban on the 4th of September. This was the first time Atal Behari Vajpayee participated in a NAM summit. This was also the first time a non-Congress government represented India in the non-aligned movement. The general assessment is the Indian delegation acquitted itself well during the deliberations and showed a capacity to stand firm on issues of vital interest to India, on which some members of the movement took critical or adversarial stances.