Rabbani may meet Musharraf

DUBAI, NOV. 27. Striking a conciliatory note with the Taliban's former backers, the acting Afghan President and Northern Alliance leader, Mr. Burhanuddin Rabbani, today said he planned to hold talks with the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, ``in the very near future''

``Moves are on to pave the way for talks with Gen. Musharraf. When this will happen I don't know,'' Mr. Rabbani told presspersons here, where he is heading a delegation that met with Pakistani officials. But the moves ``could be fruitful in the very near future'', he added.

``We are ready to open a new page with all our neighbours, especially Pakistan. We will never forget the help of Pakistan in the past ... We are ready to cooperate and we are eager to strengthen our relationship with them.

``During the Taliban rule, there were some errors committed by (Pakistani) persons, not populations. People come and go (while) populations stay,'' he said.

Mr. Rabbani reiterated his lack of enthusiasm for the U.N.- sponsored conference that opened today in Bonn on the future of his war-torn country. ``As of today, all our meetings should be held in Afghanistan,'' he said, calling the Bonn gathering a ``preliminary meeting (to lay down) the basis of future meetings''.

- AFP

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Section  : International
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