ISLAMABAD, 12 September 2005 — Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf left yesterday for New York with a mission to counter criticism of Pakistan’s record on women’s rights, to improve Muslim-Jewish relations and to boost a flagging peace process with India.
Musharraf will attend the UN General Assembly meeting and hold talks with US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Musharraf was seen off at an air base near Islamabad by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other senior government officials. Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is accompanying Musharraf.
Musharraf told reporters at the airport that he and Bush will discuss the moves toward the creation of a Palestinian state, Kashmir, bilateral relations and the fight against terrorism.
Besides attending the UN General Assembly, Musharraf would be exchanging views with several countries’ leaders on the promotion of bilateral ties and matters of regional and international significance.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the president would address the summit. He will chair a meeting of the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSCO) of the United Nations and chair a roundtable on “Innovation and investment: Scaling science and technology to meet MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)”.
Musharraf will also attend an informal summit on “Interfaith Cooperation for Peace” called by the president of the Philippines. He will also meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the press release said, in addition to leaders from China, Iran, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
Musharraf will address the US-Pakistan Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce, an organization of Pakistani-American women and Pakistanis in the US at Colombia University.
While in New York, Musharraf is also expected to speak at an interfaith conference organized by the Council for World Jewry. He said his address will lend strength “to the cause of establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
Musharraf’s another important engagement in New York will be his meeting with Manmohan, his third with him during the past one year. The Musharraf-Manmohan discussion will touch a host of issues, especially the contentious issue of Kashmir dispute.
Musharraf said the meeting with Manmohan would focus on Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both countries. “I want to promote the cause of peace, resolution of disputes, especially the Kashmir dispute,” Musharraf said.
Kasuri will be attending several summit meetings while in the US, according to the Foreign Office. He will stay on after the president’s departure from New York because of his busy schedule of meetings.
The minister will attend more than 10 ministerial meetings, including the Organization of Islamic Conference’s contact group on Jammu and Kashmir, the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77, the Commonwealth, and a meeting of SAARC Foreign Ministers, in addition to attending the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Kasuri is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Luxemburg, Holland, Spain, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and Thailand.
