December 10, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 15, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: The British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has appreciated recent progress in normalizing relations between Pakistan and India including the latest agreements on a ceasefire and resumption of air links.

According to a press release issued by the British High Commission here on Tuesday, the minister said this in a written statement to the House of Commons discussing a three-day visit of UK’s minister for trade, investment and foreign affairs, Mike O’ Brien to Pakistan.

“This is an encouraging start to a process, which we hope with sustained efforts of both sides to address each others legitimate concerns, will lead to the resolution of all the outstanding issues between them (India and Pakistan), including Kashmir”, he said.

Mr Straw said Pakistan is UK’s key partner in the campaign against terrorism. With US, UK and other international support, he said Pakistan has arrested over 500 terrorist suspects since 9/11 incident.

“We also welcome and encourage measures taken by the government of Pakistan against organizations which pose a threat to Pakistan’s security and to regional and international stability, including efforts to rout the Al Qaeda and Taliban elements which continue to destabilize Afghanistan in particular”, he said.

In the political sphere, he said we value Pakistan’s membership of the UN Security Council, and have welcomed their constructive contribution in that forum over the last year. “We hope to continue and intensify our cooperation in the year ahead. We are also engaging with Pakistan on a whole range of regional and global issues both bilaterally and in other international fora”, he said.

He said ‘our defence relationship is deepening following the re-establishment of the UK-Pakistan Defence Cooperation Forum in early 2002. “We greatly value our important and historic links with the Pakistan armed forces. We will maintain and build on this process”, he said.

He said the UK is the biggest foreign investor in Pakistan and the UK is the country’s 5th largest export market. He said all this is in the context of an increasingly stable and strong macro-economic environment in Pakistan and a government committed to liberalizing reform including privatization.

“We appreciate the good work being done in this field by the Pakistan-Britain Trade and Investment Forum and the Pakistan Britain Business Advisory Group.