ISLAMABAD, July 16: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando said on Tuesday that he conveyed ‘known Indian concerns’ to Pakistan but denied his country was mediating between the two countries.
“Obviously we discussed Indian concerns during the meeting (with Indian foreign minister) which are very well-known to everybody and not something private or secret, and I conveyed these concerns to President Pervez Musharraf,” Fernando told newsmen at a joint news conference with Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood.
He said he discussed these concerns with President Pervez Musharraf who listened to them eagerly.
The Sri Lankan minister is here on a three-day visit to finalize agenda for the proposed visit of President Pervez Musharraf to his country beginning from July 31.
Tyronne Fernando refuted that he carried a special message for Pakistan from India as reported by the media. “I didn’t carry any note or message from India,” he said, adding that Sri Lanka was not interfering or mediating between the two Asian powers.
Asked whether he would be conveying Pakistan’s views to India as well, the Sri Lankan foreign minister said: “I am not going to be a mediator between Pakistan and India. We are a small country with two friends which are nuclear powers and we want to see them in peace. I would rather leave that (mediation) to Jack Straw and Colin Powell.”
The western media had reported that Mr Fernando was engaged in a shuttle diplomacy to ease tensions between Pakistan and India and would deliver a message from his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha to Inamul Haq.
“The Indian foreign minister requested me to convey it to Pakistan that although the cross-border terrorism has decreased, militant training camps are still operating,” Fernando was quoted as saying before his departure for Islamabad on Monday.
The Indian foreign ministry had, however, stated that “there was no request to Sri Lanka to carry any message to Pakistan on India’s behalf”.
The visiting minister said his country was proud of its friendship with Pakistan that supported Sri Lanka during difficult times.
During his meeting with the president, the minister asked Pakistan to start PIA flights to and from Colombo and issue visa to its businessmen at the Pakistani airports to boost bilateral trade.
He looked forward to signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and said he requested President Musharraf to make this trade agreement successful by starting PIA flights to Colombo because Sri Lanka lost a number of planes last year at its airport. Currently, he said, Sri Lankan exports were being routed through Dubai.
The Sri Lankan minister said ceasefire agreement in his country had stood well during the last six months and there was a complete peace now.
He was unsure whether the free trade agreement would be signed during the visit of President Musharraf to Colombo but hoped that necessary formalities could be concluded before the visit so that it could be signed during the visit.
He said the Sri Lankan commerce minister would visit Pakistan next month for follow up discussions on trade accord.
Commerce minister Abdul Razak Dawood when asked whether he was still 95 per cent sure the FTA would be signed during the president’s forthcoming visit, said he would now 90 per cent hopeful.
He said there were a number of steps and we were trying to cross these steps before the president’s visit. He said between July 23 and 30, a number of hurdles would have to be removed.
