Will Musharraf address U.N. meet?

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 20. The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has urged the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to visit New York and address the General Assembly session of the U.N. scheduled to begin on November 10.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Mr. Riaz Mohammad Khan, told reporters at a briefing here that Mr. Annan had called up Gen. Musharraf on Friday night and expressed his keenness to see his presence at the session.

He told Gen. Musharraf that there was considerable interest among the members of the U.N. and the world community to hear from Gen. Musharraf his views on the developments after September 11.

The telephone call by Mr. Annan assumes significance as Pakistan has emerged as a `frontline state' for the United States and its allies in their fight against the Taliban militia and Osama in Afghanistan.

Mr. Khan was, however, quick to add that a decision on whether or not Gen. Musharraf would visit New York was under `active consideration' and several factors had to be kept in mind before arriving at a decision.

The `special invitation' by Mr. Annan and the hesitation on the part of Gen. Musharraf to decide whether or not to travel to New York is yet another indication of the changed world in the wake of the terror attacks on September 11 on American cities.

The managers of the military government appear to be mulling over whether or not Gen. Musharraf should leave the country. Their dilemma is understandable considering the delicate situation the country was faced with on account of the war declared by the U.S. and its allies against Afghanistan and the opposition on the domestic front from pro-Taliban forces to cooperation with the U.S.

In case Gen. Musharraf decides to attend the U.N. General Assembly session, the next logical question would be whether there would be a meeting between the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistan President. On Friday, the Pakistan Foreign Pakistan Office spokesman had said the issue would arise only if Gen. Musharraf visited New York.

In another development, the Pakistan Government is getting annoyed with a section of the Western journalists camping here for their alleged attempts to sensationalise and in the process `malign' Pakistan.

The latest episode relates to an alleged attempt by a reporter of Ms. Christina Lamb of the Sunday Telegraph (London) to prove that Osama bin Laden is at present in Pakistan. She has been accused of obtaining a `blank form' from a travel agent in Quetta and putting the name of Osama on it to make a point that he travelled from Quetta to Islamabad.

The Foreign Office spokesman said that authorities were investigating the matter and if the journalist was proved guilty, action would be taken. Islamabad had given a warning to foreign journalists not to stray into prohibited areas and attempt to cross over to Afghanistan without valid travel documents.

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Section  : International
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