20 July 2004	Tuesday	02 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

ISLAMABAD, July 19: India's External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, who arrived here on Monday to attend Saarc regional conference, said he has come with a message of goodwill and friendship for the government and people of Pakistan.

Mr Singh said he would call on President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain and would use this opportunity to contribute further to the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India.

"I have come with a message of goodwill and friendship from the government and people of India for the government and people of Pakistan," he said in a statement upon his arrival from New Delhi.

The Indian minister said he had last visited Pakistan 16 years ago with then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to attend the Saarc summit. Mr Singh will be meeting with his counterparts from Saarc countries on the margin of the 25th session of the Foreign Ministers' meeting to be opened by Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday.

"I will also have the honour to call on the president and the prime minister of Pakistan. I shall do whatever I can to use this opportunity to contribute further to creating an even better climate for taking forward the composite dialogue process," he added.

Mr Singh said his visit was primarily in the context of Saarc ministerial meeting which will also prepare ground for the next Saarc summit to be held in Bangladesh early next year.

He noted with satisfaction the progress made in the meetings of the programming committee on July 16-17 and the standing committee meeting of foreign secretaries.

He said the issues being looked at were related to the implementation of the Saarc convention on terrorism and its additional protocol as well as those related to social charter and the implementation of the announcement made by India early this year of a $100 million fund for Saarc poverty alleviation programme. -APP