The 60-year-old Carrion, who is chairman of Puerto Rican lender Popular Inc, heads the IOC’s finance commission and is a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, becomes the third official candidate in the race to be decided on September 10.

“We have a lot at stake in this election,” Carrion, an IOC member since 1990, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“Our place in the world is not guaranteed. We must have a leader that knows how not just to manage the coming change but also make it work for the IOC and the movement,” said the soft-spoken Carrion.

IOC Vice Presidents Thomas Bach from Germany and Singapore’s Ng Ser Miang have already launched their campaigns while the head of the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) C.K. Wu is set to announce his bid on Thursday.

Several more could decide to run, with Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald and former pole vault champion Sergei Bubka seen as likely candidates.

As head of the IOC’s finance commission since 2002, Carrion, who is also responsible for negotiating broadcasting rights for the IOC, has overseen major revenue growth over the past decade despite the global economic downturn.

He also helped to negotiate a four-Games deal to 2020 with U.S. broadcaster NBC worth $4.38 billion.

Sponsorship revenues for the IOC through its TOP program for the 2013-16 period are set to exceed $1 billion for the first time, compared with $663 million for 2001-4.

“(IOC) President (Jacques) Rogge has entrusted me with a lot of responsibility, financial and television. It was his vision that we should grow the foundation to have enough money at hand in case Games were cancelled,” said Carrion.

MOUNTING REVENUES

Broadcasting revenues, the biggest source of income for the IOC, are seen topping $4 billion until 2016, with revenues for the 2002-4 period at almost half that.

“If you look at the IOC, it has a great standing but by nature when things are going well I think about what could go wrong. This is a great standing but it is not something that is guaranteed,” said Carrion.

He said he wanted to see the IOC branching out to other organizations to become stronger.

“We cannot do everything on our own. We have tremendous resources in the work our members do. We can create associations with other organizations around the world, learn from best practices.”

In turn, Carrion said he wanted to see Olympic Games expertise brought back into the IOC as the Games became more complex.

“We developed an expertise and need to bring this core of people in-house. There are areas in staging Olympics where we would benefit if we had a core of people permanently engaged in host cities,” he said.

The IOC will elect the winning candidate at their session in Buenos Aires, with all 100-plus IOC members voting. Rogge is stepping down after his two-term presidency comes to a mandatory end.

Asked to comment on how he viewed campaigning against close colleagues for one of the most powerful sports jobs in the world that has come up only twice since 1980, Carrion said he thought there would be at least two more candidates appearing before the June 10 deadline.

“I think there will probably six candidates and this is a good thing. The more candidates, the more opportunity for members to make the decision who is the most capable person.

“Every IOC member is responsible for that legacy and I am convinced the number of candidates is a good thing. We should all have opportunity to share our ideas.”

(Editing by Clare Fallon)

The 60-year-old Carrion, who is chairman of Puerto Rican lender Popular Inc, heads the IOC’s finance commission and is a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, becomes the third official candidate in the race to be decided on Sept. 10.

“We have a lot at stake in this election,” Carrion, an IOC member since 1990, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“Our place in the world is not guaranteed. We must have a leader that knows how not just to manage the coming change but also make it work for the IOC and the movement,” said the soft-spoken Carrion.

IOC Vice Presidents Thomas Bach from Germany and Singapore’s Ng Ser Miang have already launched their campaigns while the head of the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) C.K. Wu is set to announce his bid on Thursday.

Several more could decide to run, with Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald and former pole vault champion Sergei Bubka seen as likely candidates.

As head of the IOC’s finance commission since 2002, Carrion, who is also responsible for negotiating broadcasting rights for the IOC, has overseen major revenue growth over the past decade despite the global economic downturn.

He also helped to negotiate a four-Games deal to 2020 with U.S. broadcaster NBC worth $4.38 billion.

Sponsorship revenues for the IOC through its TOP programme for the 2013-16 period are set to exceed $1 billion for the first time, compared with $663 million for 2001-4.

“(IOC) President (Jacques) Rogge has entrusted me with a lot of responsibility, financial and television. It was his vision that we should grow the foundation to have enough money at hand in case Games were cancelled,” said Carrion.

MOUNTING REVENUES

Broadcasting revenues, the biggest source of income for the IOC, are seen topping $4 billion until 2016, with revenues for the 2002-4 period at almost half that.

“If you look at the IOC, it has a great standing but by nature when things are going well I think about what could go wrong. This is a great standing but it is not something that is guaranteed,” said Carrion.

He said he wanted to see the IOC branching out to other organisations to become stronger.

“We cannot do everything on our own. We have tremendous resources in the work our members do. We can create associations with other organisations around the world, learn from best practices.”

In turn, Carrion said he wanted to see Olympic Games expertise brought back into the IOC as the Games became more complex.

“We developed an expertise and need to bring this core of people in-house. There are areas in staging Olympics where we would benefit if we had a core of people permanently engaged in host cities,” he said.

The IOC will elect the winning candidate at their session in Buenos Aires, with all 100-plus IOC members voting. Rogge is stepping down after his two-term presidency comes to a mandatory end.

Asked to comment on how he viewed campaigning against close colleagues for one of the most powerful sports jobs in the world that has come up only twice since 1980, Carrion said he thought there would be at least two more candidates appearing before the June 10 deadline.

“I think there will probably six candidates and this is a good thing. The more candidates, the more opportunity for members to make the decision who is the most capable person.

“Every IOC member is responsible for that legacy and I am convinced the number of candidates is a good thing. We should all have opportunity to share our ideas.” (Editing by Clare Fallon)

Fielding a full-strength team, Bayern, who set a string of league records, including most points (91) and fewest goals conceded (18) in 34 league games, went behind as Martin Stranzl and Mike Hanke scored twice within five minutes before Javi Martinez pulled one back on seven minutes.

Havard Nordtveit restored Gladbach’s two-goal advantage in the 10th minute, as the hosts looked for a high score win in their last hope for a Europa League spot, before Frenchman Ribery’s powerful effort made it 3-2 eight minutes later.

In what was the final Bundesliga match for coach Jupp Heynckes, who fittingly learned his trade at Gladbach as both player and coach, Ribery levelled with a sensational 18-metre volley from a deep Philipp Lahm cross in the 53rd minute.

Six minutes later he set up Dutchman Arjen Robben for the winner with a perfectly-weighted cross at the far post.

“I think our mind was still at the title celebrations at the start,” said 1974 World Cup winner Heynckes, who is still the Bundesliga’s third highest scorer and has made 1,011 league appearances as both player and coach. “But we stayed with it and gradually took control of the game.

“I had the feeling my players really wanted to win. I had told them before the game that this was my last Bundesliga game and it was here that I started in 1964,” said Heynckes. “I saw they were really happy afterwards that they gave me such a present.

“It is a moving moment for me and I want to thank all Borussia fans. This shows that this is my home,” he told reporters.

Heynckes’s team, however, has still two finals to play with the German Cup final against VfB Stuttgart on June 1 and the chance for Bayern to claim an unprecedented treble of titles for a German club.

DORTMUND MELTDOWN

Second-placed Dortmund, also in their Champions League final dress rehearsal, suffered a late meltdown, conceding two goals as Hoffenheim staged a last-gasp relegation escape with a 2-1 win thanks to two Sejad Salihovic penalties, earning them a relegation playoff with second division side Kaiserslautern.

Dortmund had keeper Roman Weidenfeller sent off in the 80th minute with Salihovic converting his second penalty in five minutes to complete a stunning turnaround, having gone a goal down through Robert Lewandowski’s sixth-minute opener.

Dortmund had the ball in the net deep in stoppage time but Marcel Schmelzer’s effort was ruled offside in a dramatic end to Hoffenheim’s rollercoaster season.

Schalke 04 beat Freiburg 2-1 to grab fourth place and a spot in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, rescuing a season that had them seemingly out of contention at the halfway mark.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling was the season’s top scorer with his 25th strike in the last minute for a 1-0 win at Hamburg SV, helping his team to a comfortable third-place finish and secure Champions League action next season. Dortmund’s Lewandowski ended up with 24 goals in second place.

Freiburg will join Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League next season.

Promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf completed a disastrous run since the winter break with no win in their last 12 games to tumble back down after slumping to a 3-0 defeat at Hanover 96 with Ivorian striker Didier Ya Konan scoring twice.

Augsburg finished a remarkable recovery since the winter break with a 3-1 win over already-relegated Fuerth to stay out of relegation trouble in 15th place. (Editing by Josh Reich, John Mehaffey and Alison Wildey)

Fielding a full-strength team, Bayern, who set a string of league records, including most points (91) and fewest goals conceded (18) in 34 league games, went behind as Martin Stranzl and Mike Hanke scored twice within five minutes before Javi Martinez pulled one back on seven minutes.

Havard Nordtveit restored Gladbach’s two-goal advantage in the 10th minute, as the hosts looked for a high score win in their last hope for a Europa League spot, before Frenchman Ribery’s powerful effort made it 3-2 eight minutes later.

In what was the final Bundesliga match for coach Jupp Heynckes, who fittingly learned his trade at Gladbach as both player and coach, Ribery levelled with a sensational 18-metre volley from a deep Philipp Lahm cross in the 53rd minute.

Six minutes later he set up Dutchman Arjen Robben for the winner with a perfectly-weighted cross at the far post.

“I think our mind was still at the title celebrations at the start,” said 1974 World Cup winner Heynckes, who is still the Bundesliga’s third highest scorer and has made 1,011 league appearances as both player and coach. “But we stayed with it and gradually took control of the game.

“I had the feeling my players really wanted to win. I had told them before the game that this was my last Bundesliga game and it was here that I started in 1964,” said Heynckes. “I saw they were really happy afterwards that they gave me such a present.

“It is a moving moment for me and I want to thank all Borussia fans. This shows that this is my home,” he told reporters.

Heynckes’s team, however, has still two finals to play with the German Cup final against VfB Stuttgart on June 1 and the chance for Bayern to claim an unprecedented treble of titles for a German club.

DORTMUND MELTDOWN

Second-placed Dortmund, also in their Champions League final dress rehearsal, suffered a late meltdown, conceding two goals as Hoffenheim staged a last-gasp relegation escape with a 2-1 win thanks to two Sejad Salihovic penalties, earning them a relegation playoff with second division side Kaiserslautern.

Dortmund had keeper Roman Weidenfeller sent off in the 80th minute with Salihovic converting his second penalty in five minutes to complete a stunning turnaround, having gone a goal down through Robert Lewandowski’s sixth-minute opener.

Dortmund had the ball in the net deep in stoppage time but Marcel Schmelzer’s effort was ruled offside in a dramatic end to Hoffenheim’s rollercoaster season.

Schalke 04 beat Freiburg 2-1 to grab fourth place and a spot in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, rescuing a season that had them seemingly out of contention at the halfway mark.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling was the season’s top scorer with his 25th strike in the last minute for a 1-0 win at Hamburg SV, helping his team to a comfortable third-place finish and secure Champions League action next season. Dortmund’s Lewandowski ended up with 24 goals in second place.

Freiburg will join Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League next season.

Promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf completed a disastrous run since the winter break with no win in their last 12 games to tumble back down after slumping to a 3-0 defeat at Hanover 96 with Ivorian striker Didier Ya Konan scoring twice.

Augsburg finished a remarkable recovery since the winter break with a 3-1 win over already-relegated Fuerth to stay out of relegation trouble in 15th place.

(Editing by Josh Reich, John Mehaffey and Alison Wildey)

Fielding a full-strength team, Bayern, who set a string of league records, including most points (91) and fewest goals conceded (18) in 34 league games, went behind as Martin Stranzl and Mike Hanke scored twice within five minutes before Javi Martinez pulled one back on seven minutes.

Havard Nordtveit restored Gladbach’s two-goal advantage in the 10th minute, as the hosts looked for a high score win in their last hope for a Europa League spot, before Frenchman Ribery’s powerful effort made it 3-2 eight minutes later.

In what was the final Bundesliga match for coach Jupp Heynckes, who fittingly learned his trade at Gladbach as both player and coach, Ribery levelled with a sensational 18-metre volley from a deep Philipp Lahm cross in the 53rd minute.

Six minutes later he set up Dutchman Arjen Robben for the winner with a perfectly-weighted cross at the far post.

“I think our mind was still at the title celebrations at the start,” said 1974 World Cup winner Heynckes, who is still the Bundesliga’s third highest scorer and has made 1,011 league appearances as both player and coach. “But we stayed with it and gradually took control of the game.

“I had the feeling my players really wanted to win. I had told them before the game that this was my last Bundesliga game and it was here that I started in 1964,” said Heynckes. “I saw they were really happy afterwards that they gave me such a present.

“It is a moving moment for me and I want to thank all Borussia fans. This shows that this is my home,” he told reporters.

Heynckes’s team, however, has still two finals to play with the German Cup final against VfB Stuttgart on June 1 and the chance for Bayern to claim an unprecedented treble of titles for a German club.

DORTMUND MELTDOWN

Second-placed Dortmund, also in their Champions League final dress rehearsal, suffered a late meltdown, conceding two goals as Hoffenheim staged a last-gasp relegation escape with a 2-1 win thanks to two Sejad Salihovic penalties, earning them a relegation playoff with second division side Kaiserslautern.

Dortmund had keeper Roman Weidenfeller sent off in the 80th minute with Salihovic converting his second penalty in five minutes to complete a stunning turnaround, having gone a goal down through Robert Lewandowski’s sixth-minute opener.

Dortmund had the ball in the net deep in stoppage time but Marcel Schmelzer’s effort was ruled offside in a dramatic end to Hoffenheim’s rollercoaster season.

Schalke 04 beat Freiburg 2-1 to grab fourth place and a spot in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, rescuing a season that had them seemingly out of contention at the halfway mark.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling was the season’s top scorer with his 25th strike in the last minute for a 1-0 win at Hamburg SV, helping his team to a comfortable third-place finish and secure Champions League action next season. Dortmund’s Lewandowski ended up with 24 goals in second place.

Freiburg will join Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League next season.

Promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf completed a disastrous run since the winter break with no win in their last 12 games to tumble back down after slumping to a 3-0 defeat at Hanover 96 with Ivorian striker Didier Ya Konan scoring twice.

Augsburg finished a remarkable recovery since the winter break with a 3-1 win over already-relegated Fuerth to stay out of relegation trouble in 15th place. (Editing by Josh Reich, John Mehaffey and Alison Wildey)

(Reuters) – International Boxing Federation (AIBA) President C.K. Wu has decided to run for the post of the president of the International Olympic Committee as the race for one of the world’s top sports jobs heats up, a source said.

“Dr Wu handed over a letter this morning to Dr (Jacques) Rogge, informing him about his candidacy. He will announce it officially next Thursday,” a source told Reuters.

The Taiwanese is the third IOC member, behind Germany’s Thomas Bach and Singaporean Ng Ser Miang, both IOC vice presidents, to decide to run for the post with the election set for September 10 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires.

Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, sees his two-term presidency come to a mandatory end in September.

There are several more potential candidates with Puerto Rican Richard Carrion, head of the finance commission, Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald and former Olympic pole vault champion Sergei Bubka, seen as possible contenders. The deadline for candidacies is June 10.

Wu took over troubled AIBA in 2006, managing to restore its Olympic credibility after a string of changes to rules and judging following controversies at the Athens 2004 Olympics that led to an IOC ban on funds for the federation.

The England-educated 66-year-old architect, who is a member of the powerful IOC Executive Board since last year and has been an IOC member for 25 years, was urged earlier this week by his own federation to make a bid for the presidency.

He oversaw a hugely successful boxing tournament at the London 2012 Games where women boxers made a glittering Olympic debut.

He was also in charge of designing the Samaranch Memorial in Tianjin, China, which houses the late IOC president’s private collections, and was officially inaugurated by Rogge late last month.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Alison Wildey)

“Dr Wu handed over a letter this morning to Dr (Jacques) Rogge, informing him about his candidacy. He will announce it officially next Thursday,” a source told Reuters.

The Taiwanese is the third IOC member, behind Germany’s Thomas Bach and Singaporean Ng Ser Miang, both IOC vice presidents, to decide to run for the post with the election set for Sept. 10 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires.

Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, sees his two-term presidency come to a mandatory end in September.

There are several more potential candidates with Puerto Rican Richard Carrion, head of the finance commission, Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald and former Olympic pole vault champion Sergei Bubka, seen as possible contenders. The deadline for candidacies is June 10.

Wu took over troubled AIBA in 2006, managing to restore its Olympic credibility after a string of changes to rules and judging following controversies at the Athens 2004 Olympics that led to an IOC ban on funds for the federation.

The England-educated 66-year-old architect, who is a member of the powerful IOC Executive Board since last year and has been an IOC member for 25 years, was urged earlier this week by his own federation to make a bid for the presidency.

He oversaw a hugely successful boxing tournament at the London 2012 Games where women boxers made a glittering Olympic debut.

He was also in charge of designing the Samaranch Memorial in Tianjin, China, which houses the late IOC president’s private collections, and was officially inaugurated by Rogge late last month. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Alison Wildey)

(Reuters) – Singapore’s Ser Miang Ng officially launched his bid for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, saying he wanted youth to play a central role in the movement and to see IOC members more actively involved.

The 64-year-old businessman chose Sorbonne University in Paris for his announcement, the site where the IOC was founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin.

IOC Vice President Ng is the second candidate for one of the top jobs in world sport. Germany’s Thomas Bach, also an IOC vice president, announced his bid last week.

“I believe I have the experience and the knowledge to be a universal leader of the IOC, to empower membership and unify the movement,” Ng told Reuters in an telephone interview on the day of his candidacy announcement in Paris.

“I humbly believe that I have the experience in consensus building, the understanding of the Olympic Movement, and a deep passion for Olympism that qualifies me to be that leader.”

An IOC member since 1998, Ng becomes the first Asian to throw his hat into the ring for the election at the IOC session on September 10 in Buenos Aires.

“I have been talking to several members and we are looking at the future and we believe members want to be more actively involved,” said Ng.

“Also we are looking at allocating resources, administrative and otherwise, to members.”

He said he would be reaching out to the 100-plus IOC members later on Thursday.

“This morning I will be sending out a personal letter and my manifesto. On that basis we will discuss for the three and a half months leading to the Buenos Aires session,” he said.

A former Singapore ambassador to Hungary and currently to Norway, and a former member of parliament, Ng’s profile improved after he helped stage a successful inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010. The event is the brainchild of outgoing president Jacques Rogge.

Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, sees his two-term presidency come to a mandatory end in September.

YOUTH WORK

“I would want to firstly refocus on the youth of the world, bring them into the centre of the movement and I believe it is one area where we can reach out more, working with different partners,” added Ng.

“Also, to have more human legacies rather the infrastructure legacies (at the Games). We can also work closely with governments and explain more our work to the governments.”

Asia will host the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, while Tokyo is bidding for the 2020 summer Games.

None of the past IOC presidents, however, have come from Asia, a continent with a rapidly growing role in world sports, with all but one past president being European.

“I am proud to be Asian, but I am also a global citizen. This gives me a unique perspective as an IOC member,” said Ng. “The job of the president is looking after a global organization. I believe that I am not just an Asian.”

There are more candidacies expected before the June 10 submission deadline, with Puerto Rican Richard Carrion, head of the IOC’s Finance Commission, also expected to run for the job.

International boxing federation (AIBA) boss C.K. Wu of Taiwan and Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald have also been mentioned as potential candidates along with former pole vault champion Sergei Bubka of Ukraine.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

The 64-year-old businessman chose Sorbonne University in Paris for his announcement, the site where the IOC was founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin.

IOC Vice President Ng is the second candidate for one of the top jobs in world sport. Germany’s Thomas Bach, also an IOC vice president, announced his bid last week.

“I believe I have the experience and the knowledge to be a universal leader of the IOC, to empower membership and unify the movement,” Ng told Reuters in an telephone interview on the day of his candidacy announcement in Paris.

“I humbly believe that I have the experience in consensus building, the understanding of the Olympic Movement, and a deep passion for Olympism that qualifies me to be that leader.”

An IOC member since 1998, Ng becomes the first Asian to throw his hat into the ring for the election at the IOC session on Sept. 10 in Buenos Aires.

“I have been talking to several members and we are looking at the future and we believe members want to be more actively involved,” said Ng.

“Also we are looking at allocating resources, administrative and otherwise, to members.”

He said he would be reaching out to the 100-plus IOC members later on Thursday.

“This morning I will be sending out a personal letter and my manifesto. On that basis we will discuss for the three and a half months leading to the Buenos Aires session,” he said.

A former Singapore ambassador to Hungary and currently to Norway, and a former member of parliament, Ng’s profile improved after he helped stage a successful inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010. The event is the brainchild of outgoing president Jacques Rogge.

Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, sees his two-term presidency come to a mandatory end in September.

YOUTH WORK

“I would want to firstly refocus on the youth of the world, bring them into the centre of the movement and I believe it is one area where we can reach out more, working with different partners,” added Ng.

“Also, to have more human legacies rather the infrastructure legacies (at the Games). We can also work closely with governments and explain more our work to the governments.”

Asia will host the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, while Tokyo is bidding for the 2020 summer Games.

None of the past IOC presidents, however, have come from Asia, a continent with a rapidly growing role in world sports, with all but one past president being European.

“I am proud to be Asian, but I am also a global citizen. This gives me a unique perspective as an IOC member,” said Ng. “The job of the president is looking after a global organisation. I believe that I am not just an Asian.”

There are more candidacies expected before the June 10 submission deadline, with Puerto Rican Richard Carrion, head of the IOC’s Finance Commission, also expected to run for the job. International boxing federation (AIBA) boss C.K. Wu of Taiwan and Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald have also been mentioned as potential candidates along with former pole vault champion Sergei Bubka of Ukraine. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

(Reuters) – India has assured the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of the Olympic movement’s autonomy in the country in a first step towards mending relations after the nation was banned from the Olympics over government interference.

“(India’s) Sports Minister Jitendra Singh gave strong guarantees and a clear commitment that the government of India will fully respect the principle of autonomy of the Olympic movement,” the IOC said on Wednesday.

The IOC’s comments came at the end of a meeting with India’s sports minister, national federations and suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA) members in Lausanne.

The IOC banned the country in December after refusing to recognise the results of IOA elections due to government interference, which led to a tainted official being named its secretary general.

“It was agreed in particular that the drafting of the new sports bill will be undertaken in close coordination with the IOA and the national federations, and with prior consultation with the IOC to ensure that it will be fully compatible with the principles and rules of the Olympic Movement,” the IOC said.

The ban meant an end to funding from the IOC for the IOA, no Indian officials attending Olympic meetings and Indian athletes banned from competing at the Olympics under their country’s flag.

“The main purpose of today’s meetings was to explore the possibility for the suspended IOA to hold free, fair, democratic and transparent elections on the basis of a revised IOA constitution and the Olympic Charter, with no outside interference, that could pave the way for the IOC to consider lifting its suspension of the IOA,” the IOC said.

For Indians it was a crucial first step.

“The IOC is going to propose a roadmap on how we can get back into the Olympic fold,” said Beijing 2008 Olympics shooting gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, who was part of the Indian delegation.

“That’s in the right direction but surely the ban is not lifted as of today. I don’t think in one meeting we can expect a ban to be lifted. It’s a start, it’s a process,” he told reporters.

(Additional reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Clare Fallon)