ISLAMABAD, 4 September 2005 — Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Naeem Khan ruled out summit meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon next month in New York.
“There is no meeting scheduled between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Sharon in New York,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Naeem Khan told reporters in Islamabad.
He was commenting on reports suggesting that a meeting between the two leaders was being planned on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Pakistan’s English-language Dawn also quoted the country’s ambassador to the US Jehangir Karamat as saying that “all heads of state and governments will be there and if they meet, there is no harm”.
Spokesman Khan’s remarks came against the backdrop of a countrywide debate triggered by the first-ever contact between Islamabad and Tel Aviv last Thursday in Istanbul at the foreign minister level.
Khan said that the president will, however, address an inter-faith conference alongside other leaders from different faiths organized by the American Jewish Council in Washington during his US visit.
He said Pakistan would also send its delegation to the Palestinian territories soon to meet with Palestinian leaders and visit the Gaza Strip, in response to a request made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Islamabad last May.
Khan also dismissed the possibility of trade links with Israel, saying any links including those at the diplomatic level will remain linked to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom described his meeting with Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri as a “breakthrough”, officials in Islamabad said it does not amount to recognizing Tel Aviv.
Kasuri yesterday briefed the country’s leadership about his meeting with his Israeli counterpart, hours after he returned home amid tight security, an official said.
Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other government officials attended the briefing, said the official.
He said Kasuri “gave all details” about his meeting Thursday with Shalom, while Musharraf downplayed opposition fears that Pakistan had taken a decision to recognize Israel. Musharraf also said that Pakistan would not take any decision about recognizing Israel without consulting the people, lawmakers and other Muslim leaders, said the official.
Pakistan in the past has taken a harder line against Israel than some Arab countries.
On Thursday, Musharraf had said that Pakistan would not recognize Israel until the establishment of a free and independent state for the Palestinian people.
Musharraf, who made Pakistan a key US ally of the United States in its war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in America, has been gradually moving toward conciliation with Israel, despite the influence of radical parties in the country, who enjoy strong voice in the Parliament.
Pakistan took the decision to hold talks with Israel after Israel vacated Gaza.
Pakistan has said Israel must abandon all other territory it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and clear the way for an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital.
Israel currently has open diplomatic ties with only four Muslim countries — Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Mauritania.
