ALMATY, June 2: A senior level meeting of the 16-member Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on Sunday adopted a draft declaration with consensus to eliminate terrorism and promote dialogue among nations.
Now heads of states and governments and other representatives of CICA will meet on Tuesday to approve the draft declaration.
According to diplomatic sources, the senior level meeting adequately addressed Pakistan’s concerns on various issues. Pakistan was represented at the meeting by foreign office officials Khalid Aziz Babar and Azhar Elahi Malik.
The meeting appreciated Pakistan’s role in war against terrorism, especially its decision of providing support to the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.
However, the representatives and media men of all the 16 nations present in Almaty were anxiously looking for a breakthrough between India and Pakistan to avert the looming conflict between the two nuclear rivals.
Diplomatic sources said that efforts, especially by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, were being made to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan. Both President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will be here to attend the summit.
