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| December 9, 2003 | Tuesday | Shawwal 14, 1424 |
President hosts banquet for Nazarbayev
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday said Pakistan “wants negotiated settlement of all issues with India” including the festering Kashmir dispute, which has been at the heart of Pakistan-India tension.
“To attain durable peace in South Asia the Kashmir dispute must be resolved in a spirit of sincerity and flexibility. Towards this end we are prepared to engage in a comprehensive dialogue with India,” the president stated in his speech at a banquet he hosted in honour of visiting Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
He said India’s refusal to resume dialogue with Pakistan has jeopardized the security of our region.
Pakistan, he said, desires establishment of durable peace in the region and beyond.
As member of the international coalition against terrorism, Pakistan would not allow use of its soil for acts of terrorism anywhere in the world.
“We have been actively cooperating with international coalition and have taken a number of steps to root out the twin menaces of extremism and sectarianism from our society.”
On Iraq, he said, Pakistan is deeply concerned about the anarchy and chaos in that country.
“Governance of Iraq is the right of the Iraqi people and it should be restored to them, as soon as possible. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq must be preserved along with its rights over its natural resources.”
The UN, he emphasized, should have a central role in shaping the future of Iraq.
President Musharraf said the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan remains a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.—APP
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