PARIS, July 1: President Pervez Musharraf begins a three-day visit to France on Wednesday.

This will be the president’s third visit to this country. Announcing the visit, the French foreign ministry said: “An exchange of views with Pakistan is indispensable if we are to be able to contribute to the stability of South Asia. We salute and support the efforts of President Musharraf to engage in his battle against the sources of terrorism in the region, whether these endanger the domestic interest of Pakistan or those of bordering regions such as Kashmir or Afghanistan.

“We salute as well the efforts by President Musharraf in view of the normalization of the political life of his country (legislative and regional elections in October 2002, senatorial elections in February 2003) and also his efforts at stabilizing and modernizing the Pakistani economy.”