International
A Chinese gesture of solidarity
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD, JAN. 2. The Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is leaving for Beijing tomorrow en route Kathmandu to take part in the SAARC summit. He is expected to hold talks with Chinese leaders on border tension with India. The ostensible reason for his Beijing visit is to avoid the use of Indian air space to reach Kathmandu but now it is official that he will utilise the opportunity for talks at the highest level on the security environment in the region in the context of troop mobilisation by India.
The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Mr. Aziz Ahmed Khan, said that Gen. Musharraf will hold talks on Thursday with the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr. Zhu Rongji, on bilateral relations as well as on tension between Pakistan and India. He will also attend a banquet being hosted by the Chinese Premier. He will fly to Kathmandu on Friday morning in a Chinese aircraft to attend the SAARC summit. The Chinese reception is seen as a gesture of solidarity towards its traditional ally in its hour of crisis. Beijing was not particularly happy over the manner in which Islamabad extended support to the U.S. in its war against terrorism and is wary of the prospect of long-term presence of the U.S.-led coalition forces in the region.
Gen. Musharraf has also stepped up diplomatic efforts to put pressure on New Delhi to bring down the tension. In the last few days, he has been in contact with a number of world leaders. He spoke on phone on Monday evening and Tuesday to the U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, the U.S. Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, King Abdullah-II of Jordan and the Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr. Rafik Hariri.
Pakistan, he said, acknowledges the need for restraint, peace and dialogue and adhered to these pre-requisites as a matter of principle and committment. Gen. Musharraf referred to Pakistan's strong condemnation of the December 13 attack on the Indian Parliament and its offer to participate in a joint inquiry provided evidence was shared with it.
He said the Pakistan Government was already taking concrete steps for curbing intolerance and sectarianism, much before the September 11 attacks in the U.S.
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