The following are excerpts from Saudi Channel II's interview with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf broadcast on Sunday:
Q. Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan enjoy very close relations; how do you evaluate them?
A. I evaluate them to be deep; the relationship has been very brotherly all along. The two most important elements in this relationship are that it is down to the people's level and that the relationship is economical and commercial.
Q. What role Pakistan is playing in solving Arab Israeli and Palestinian-Palestinian conflict?
A. The entire Islamic world has a role to play in the matter. Pakistan must play a role in the inter-Palestinian dispute, and the Arab-Israeli conflict, with new ideas coming up if the old ones do not produce results.
Q. There is a very big problem within Iraq and within the region itself as a result of the happenings in Iraq. What are the solutions that Pakistan possibly could offer to solve the problem?
A. Iraqi problem should be seen within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict and also this disharmony existing in the Islamic world. So, if we see these two things to solve the problem, Pakistan is playing a role again for the entire Islamic Ummah, and the whole world. Therefore I would say it is still the Arab-Israeli conflict that is at the heart of Iraq, so we should not put the cart before the horse. We have to resolve the problem in Palestine, and then talk about the harmony in Islamic world. This will produce some results that will have an automatic impact on Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Q. No security in the Iraqi territories. How could we help as Islamic countries in the regard?
A. I would not like to go into the details. We should sit and work things out but as I said we must understand the core issue, which has resulted in the Iraqi conflict, and we must strike at the core and work it out. If we talk purely about Iraq, it is very clearly Shiite-Sunni conflict and Kurdish problem. Therefore a political solution is required.
Q. Do you think the strategy devised by the United Stated is able to deal with the violence in Iraq?
A. I would not like to go into the strategy set by the United States. We need to see a strategy by the Islamic world. A genuine, moderate, center course, from peace-loving Islamic world should come. That is what I would be interested in. There are many solutions presented by the United States, but I would like to see one of these proposals fit with the Islamic moderate voice.
Q. In Islamic countries like Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we are playing a major role in combating terrorism; do you think that we are given credit by the international community for fighting terrorism?
A. Sometimes they do and sometimes they do not. In a normal war enemies are on front line. The line of defense is clear and you attack and you take over; it is not like that in the war on terror; these are battles in the minds of people, it can't be resolved easily. You have to have a military and you should use force. But then, a greater thing is a battle for the hearts and minds of the people and that needs a greater strategy.
Q. On the economic side, if we could talk about the South Asian countries, they are witnessing an economic boom; what is Pakistan's role in this development?
A: In South Asia there is an organization called SAARC; this organization is to play a prominent role in the economic interaction and development within the regions of South Asia. But, unfortunately, we're not playing a role because of the Indian-Pakistani conflict. Therefore, to become part of the SAARC, Indians and Pakistanis should work to resolve the dispute between them and we're making progress in that.
Q. There's a big Pakistani community in the Kingdom contributing to the development of Kingdom; what would you like to say?
A. Well, we're very proud of the fact that there's a great Pakistani community. We would like more Pakistanis to contribute to the brotherly country. I also want to emphasize that they live here and they must obey the Kingdom's laws. They must work to enhance the image of Pakistan and strengthen brotherhood between the people of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. I hope they contribute toward this and work hard in a lawful manner.
