M A I N   N E W S

Pak welcomes Kalam’s remarks
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 7
Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner to India Munnawar Saeed Bhatti today welcomed President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s “positive remarks” in his address to the joint session of Parliament.

“Islamabad also looks forward to a face-to-face meeting between the two Foreign Ministers — Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and K. Natwar Singh — when the External Affairs Minister travels to Islamabad for a SAARC ministerial meeting on July 21 and 22,” Mr Bhatti told The Tribune today.

In response to a query regarding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ministerial meeting in Islamabad next month, the official spokesperson here said the meeting was part of the SAARC calendar and the External Affairs Minister was expected to attend it.

Mr Bhatti was upbeat when he talked about the positive nature of statements made by the new government. “We are very positive as far as the statements coming from the Indian leadership are concerned. I am sure President Kalam’s averment on Pakistan will go a long way in improving the atmosphere further. We hope that the dialogue process will move forward in a positive and constructive manner.”

The diplomat was referring to President Kalam’s statement in his joint address: “Dialogue with Pakistan on all outstanding issues will be pursued on a sustained basis within the framework of the Shimla Agreement and all subsequent agreements between the two governments, including the Joint Statement of January 6, 2004.”

Mr Bhatti said before the July 21 and 22 SAARC meeting, the Standing Committee would meet on July 19 and 20, and the Programming Committee would meet on July 17 and 18.

The mid-term ministerial meeting is held half way between the two SAARC summits to review the implementation of all technical-level committees in the past six months. The Indo-Pak engagements start in a big way from later this month when expert-level talks on nuclear CBMs will be held on June 19 and 20 and Foreign Secretaries’ talks on June 27 and 28.

Natwar to visit Pak in July

Islamabad, June 7
Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh will attend a two-day regional conference in Islamabad next month and hold bilateral meetings with his Pakistani counterpart, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said today.

Mr Natwar Singh will attend a ministerial meeting of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on July 21 and 22, Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said.

“It is a long tradition that visiting ministers also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the regional conference,” he said.

Mr Natwar Singh’s visit will follow a meeting on June 19 and 20 between Pakistani and Indian officials in New Delhi to discuss ways to improve nuclear security and June 27-28 Foreign Secretary-level talks in the Indian Capital on other aspects of a tentative peace process. — Reuters