ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta is very keen that Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri visits Kabul soon and currently both sides are in the process of working out a date for the visit, according to sources.
They said that the visit would take place after Eidul Fitr, most likely in December because the foreign minister will be too caught up with a string of foreign visits to Pakistan in November.
Afghan ambassador Nangyalai Tarzai shared the table with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri at an Iftar-dinner hosted by the latter for ambassadors of Muslim countries at the Foreign Office here on Wednesday.
The guests included Saudi ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri and envoys of the UAE, Bangladesh, Brunei, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan and Malaysia.
However, conspicuous by their absence were ambassadors of Iran and Turkey.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khusroo Bakhtyar, Acting foreign secretary Fauzia Nasreen, Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms Tasnim Aslam and other senior foreign ministry officials and media representatives also attended the dinner.
North Korea’s nuclear tests, President Pervez Musharraf’s autobiography In the Line of Fire and tit-for-tat claims by Afghanistan and Pakistan about Mullah Omar’s presence were among the topics of casual conversation.
Most envoys, however, diplomatically evaded commenting on the book. When their comments were sought, they opted not to say any more than: “It is very interesting.” The Saudi ambassador said he had just read the first chapter but his take on it was: “It is a beautifully written book and very interesting.”
Just as the Afghan ambassador was on his way out after the dinner, he was approached by some journalists who drew his attention to President Hamid Karzai’s assertion that Mullah Omar was in Quetta and urged him to divulge the address of the ‘most wanted’ Taliban leader. The Afghan ambassador just laughed and walked away. His parting note was: “You give it to me when you get it!”
