April 1, 2003	Tuesday	Muharram 28, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, March 31: Pakistan believes that diplomacy still offers an opportunity for finding a peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis and Islamabad has been making its contribution towards that objective in the UN Security Council as its non-permanent member.

Foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan told his weekly news briefing here on Monday that the United Nations with its established charter and international support for the charter’s implementation offered a valuable opportunity to resolve the Iraq crisis.

Asked whether Islamabad would recognize any post-war regime in Baghdad, he said: “We will cross the bridge when we come to it.”

The spokesman said the prime minister had already made appeals for cessation of hostilities in Iraq, and Islamabad remained engaged in this objective through various diplomatic channels and in the United Nations.

But he said, replying to another question, that Pakistan did not accept any “pre-emptive doctrine” to resolve inter-state disputes. The spokesman said that he did not think the government would allow Pakistanis to join the Iraq war as Mujahideen when asked whether Islamabad would go along with an MMA call the other day, urging people to go to the aid of the Iraqi people against the Anglo-American intervention.

Mr Khan said Pakistan was exploring possibilities of sending medical supplies and assistance to Iraqi people, adding that fighting seemed to delay a quick dispatch of supplies.

The UN decision to resume the oil-for-food programme which Baghdad had been permitted following the previous Gulf war was welcomed by the spokesman. Iraqi authorities have rejected the UN decision.

He said Pakistan had allowed Afghanistan to export perishable fruits and other such commodities overland to India through the Wagha border in view of Kabul’s special request.However, Indian exporters had been denied the overland route for this purpose. New Delhi could request transit trade to Afghanistan through the regular sea route via Karachi or Port Qasim. About 3,000 to 4,000 trucks had been ferrying Afghanistan exports across Pakistan to India every month, he added.

In reply to a question, he said Pakistan did not like tension with India to persist, and had repeatedly offered to resume dialogue sooner than later to discuss all problems, including Kashmir, which stood in the way of developing normal relations.

The spokesman said that a recent restriction imposed by the US administration on dealings with a commercial organization of the country’s Kahuta Research Laboratory was specific in nature to that entity and was not directed against Pakistan as such. He was, however, not in full knowledge of the precise text of the American ban.

NO DANGER: The spokesman said Pakistan did not see any imminent danger from India but added that its people and armed forces were ready to meet any challenge.

He Khan was responding to a question if tension between the two countries would rise following the recent killing of 24 pundits in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan, he said, had already deplored the killing.

Referring to the public demand for withdrawal of military facilities extended to the United States during the Afghanistan crisis, the spokesman said the facilities were only for rescue operations.

He responded in negative when asked whether Pakistan would expel the Iraqi diplomats.