KARACHI, May 10: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said on Saturday that Pakistan wanted America to have a meaningful role in the resolution of disputes in South Asia and President Musharraf, during his forthcoming visit to the US, would discuss all aspects related to promoting peace and bilateral issues.

Mr Kasuri was speaking at the Nazaria-i-Pakistan Foundation on the eve of a visit to the US. He said: “We want the US to have a meaningful role in South Asia and the United States is doing that for the resolution of disputes.”

He told a questioner that during his US visit President Musharraf would discuss the South Asian issues so that the Kashmir question could be settled in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiris.

During his visit, President Musharraf would also take up the question of enhancing Pakistan exports quota to the US and multi-year financial assistance. The minister said the US had adopted a liberal attitude towards Pakistan in dealing with the immigration issue.

Mr Kasuri said that Pakistan had emphasized that New Delhi should initiate a structured and composite dialogue with Islamabad for resolving all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Kashmir.

He told a questioner that the current initiative for normalization of relations with India had the full support of President Musharraf, the armed forces and opposition parties.

He felt no solution of the Kashmir issue would be viable or long-lasting unless the wishes of Kashmiris were taken into consideration.

He said the dialogue between Pakistan and India would start from where it had ended at Agra in July 2001.

“The best we can do at the moment is to develop a process of dialogue. If we start talking of a solution now, vested interests might circumvent it. Start talking on all issues and at the same time involve Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC because they have the greatest stake in peace,” Mr Kasuri said.

He said there was no similarity between the situation in Iraq and occupied Kashmir. India was violating UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, he said.

Mr Kasuri pointed out that President Musharraf had given his word that there was no infiltration across the LoC, and said Pakistan had urged the international community to deploy neutral observers on both sides of LoC to verify the truth about alleged infiltration.

He said Pakistan was committed to the Bonn process on Afghanistan, and it was interested in the internal stability of that country. “We have a strong interest in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.”

In reply to a question about the new US resolution in the Security Council and the possible stance of Pakistan, which is also the current President of the Security Council, Mr Kasuri said: “We will try to do what is right and is within the framework of multilateralism and what is in the interest of Pakistan.”