November 28, 2001	Wednesday	Ramazan 12, 1422

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DUBAI, Nov 27: Acting Afghan president and Northern Alliance leader Burhanuddin Rabbani, striking a conciliatory note with Pakistan, said on Tuesday he planned to hold talks with President Pervez Musharraf “in the very near future”.

“Moves are underway to pave the way for talks with Musharraf. When this will happen I don’t know,” Rabbani said while talking to reporters in Dubai, where he is heading a delegation that met Pakistani officials.

But the moves “could be very fruitful in the very near future”, he added, speaking in Arabic.

“We are ready to open a new page with all our neighbours, especially Pakistan. We will never forget the help of Pakistan in the past ... We are ready to cooperate and we are eager to strengthen our relationship with them.

“During the Taliban rule, there were some errors committed by (Pakistani) persons, not populations. People come and go (while) populations stay,” said Rabbani, who returned to Kabul on Nov 18, promising a new and fair government five years after being ousted by the Taliban.

Rabbani, who remains the UN-recognized president of Afghanistan, reiterated his lack of enthusiasm for the UN-sponsored Bonn conference.

“Negotiations are taking place now that I want in Afghanistan. People outside Afghanistan should not be afraid to come to Afghanistan to try to solve problems.—AFP