ISLAMABAD, 6 March 2005 — President Gen. Pervez Musharraf says Pakistan has no links with Israel but will review its policy if Israel moves ahead with Palestinians in the Middle East peace process.
Pakistan would be proud to have a role in the peace process, Musharraf was quoted as saying in interviews to an Arabic Channel and Japanese news agency.
Musharraf said that Pakistan opposed Indian efforts of getting Patriot missile system and was also having reservations over India’s defense cooperation with other countries.
Pakistan would continue its efforts for nuclear non-proliferation, the president said.
When asked about Al-Qaeda, Musharraf said though Al-Qaeda was not eliminated completely but suffered major setback due to actions against the terror network which resulted in at least 700 arrests.
Musharraf yesterday left Islamabad for Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for talks with the leaders of the central Asian republics aimed at boosting economic and anti-terror cooperation.
Musharraf told reporters early yesterday that Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan shared a lot of “complementary interests” with Pakistan.
“They are looking for trade with the outside world and the outlet is through Pakistan,” he said.
Musharraf said cooperation in the “war on terror” would also be a focal point of his discussion with Uzbek leaders.
“Both Pakistan and Uzbekistan have been victims of terrorism,” he said.
Pakistani officials claim that many Al-Qaeda linked militants from Central Asian states including Tajikistan, Chechnya and Uzbekistan have been hiding in Pakistan’s rugged border South Waziristan region since the US military overthrew the Taleban regime in neighboring Afghanistan in 2001.
Musharraf also made a brief stopover in Beirut to offer condolences on the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri last month.
Musharraf, who arrived on a private plane accompanied by his wife, was met at Beirut’s International Airport by Hariri’s son, Saadeddin, and a Lebanese Foreign Ministry official. Amid heavy security, the Musharrafs arrived at Hariri’s grave in downtown Beirut where the Pakistani leader spent a few minutes praying alongside Hariri’s sons and wife, Nazek. A crowd of people at the grave broke into applause for Musharraf, who was a close friend of Hariri.
Rice to Visit Islamabad in March
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to visit Pakistan, a front-line state in its global war against terrorism, in mid-March, an official said yesterday.
Rice is expected in Islamabad on March 17, a Foreign Ministry official said, but declined to comment further on her engagements.
The US Senate last year approved a $388 million budget which includes military aid to Pakistan and its war-torn neighbor Afghanistan.
