September 9, 2003	Tuesday	Rajab 11, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD, Sept 8: Pakistan on Monday expressed deep concerned over the growing Indo-Israel defence cooperation and New Delhi’s unstoppable arms race, procuring weapons from all possible sources.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman told newsmen at a weekly news briefing that these were very negative developments and a matter of deep concern for Islamabad.

The spokesman was refering to the first four-day visit to India by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday to discuss with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee defence cooperation between the two countries.

“It is an act directed against Pakistan and we would be most concerned as they are very negative developments,” the spokesman said.

Mr Masud Khan said that Pakistan was worried about the growing Indo-Israel defence cooperation as it would cause destabilizing effect on the region in its existing vulnerable security environment, and advised it better be avoided.

The spokesman expressed surprise over the large scale purchase of weapons by India and said: “We don’t know what are they going to do with all these weapons?

In reply to a question, the spokesman said that New Delhi had not suggested a meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee although Islamabad had repeatedly requested for substantive talks between the two sides.

Washington, which had in the past acted as a facilitator for the Indo-Pakistan talks, had also not suggested any such meeting between the South Asian leaders during their visits for upcoming annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York, he said.

The spokesman, however, confirmed that foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha would be together in New York where they were also scheduled to attend three Saarc- and Asean-related meetings scheduled to be held about the same time.

APHC: Asked for comment on the abrupt removal of Maulana Abbas Ansari as the Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference following the adoption of a no-confidence motion against him by the organization’s executive, the spokesman said that Pakistan would maintain its relation and uphold the APHC as the spokesman for the Kashmiri people.

He said the APHC had come of age and attained political maturity and it was capable of running its affairs according to its political mechanism.

About upcoming visit to Washington of Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali and talks with US President George Bush, he said their meeting would have a full agenda covering all bilateral issues of mutual interest, reviewing regional situation and consolidating bilateral relations.

The spokesman, replying to a question about Pakistan’s role in post-war Iraq, said that UN discussions were still continuing on the issue and Pakistan was in touch with these deliberations. However, he said, Islamabad’s position on UN engagement in resolving Iraq issue would be known when the Security Council completed formulation of a draft resolution for adoption.

In reply to a question about fighting in Afghanistan, the spokesman said that in order to restore normalcy in Afghanistan it was essential to intensify international cooperation in fighting terrorism, crackdown on drug trafficking and expanding international assistance force to enlarge its security efforts.

He said that a tripartite commission comprising the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan to deal with border security and Taliban incursions into Afghanistan, would be meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday.

He further said that Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri would on Tuesday hand over 700,000 textbooks for Afghan children, to the Afghan Ambassador.

MILITARY EXERCISE: About the reports of a military exercise by the Indian troops in Ladakh, Masood Khan said it was being conducted within the “disputed territory,” adding that it will prove counter-productive, adds APP.

He said it “may fuel concerns in the neighbouring countries and does not add to stability in the South Asian region.”