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Pak., Iran oppose unilateral action against Iraq

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Dec. 26. In an obvious reference to the Bush doctrine, Pakistan and Iran have expressed opposition to what has been termed as "unilateral or pre-emptive military operation" against Iraq and have rejected the thesis of a regime change. The two countries have underlined the central role of the United Nations in dealing with any situation in the country.

In a joint communique issued at the end of the three-day official visit of the Iranian President, Syed Mohammad Khatami, both sides expressed concern about the current situation in Iraq.

The visit, the first by any head of the state since the so-called transfer of power from the military to a civilian set-up in Pakistan, was being watched with great interest by diplomatic observers for a number of reasons. It was a visit by an Iranian President after a gap of 10 years and follows a marked improvement in ties between Teheran and Islamabad after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

It is for the first time since the threatening postures of the U.S. against Iraq that Pakistan has taken a stand on the issue. The standard refrain of the Pakistan Government to questions on Iraq all this while was that its hands were full with its own problems and would not like to be dragged into any other issue. With the visit of Mr. Khatami, perhaps Pakistan was left with little option on the subject.

The need for de-escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan for the peaceful resolution of all the outstanding issues, including the `Kashmir dispute', and the pledge for consolidation of Pakistan and Iran ties are the other highlights of the communique. Both sides called for the immediate implementation of the Iran-India gas pipeline project through Pakistan.

On Iraq, it said that "they (Iran and Pakistan) opposed any unilateral or pre-emptive military operation against that country and underlined the central role of the United Nations in this regard. The two sides also called upon Iraq to respect and implement the U.N. Security Council resolutions. They held that it was up to the people of Iraq to determine their own future through democratic means''.

On Indo-Pak. relations, both sides called for an immediate de-escalation of tension between the countries for a peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues, particularly the Kashmir dispute, "in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people".

The communique said the two sides reaffirmed their respect for the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. They reiterated their support for the Bonn process and the Transitional Islamic Government in Afghanistan. They expressed the belief that the strengthening of peace and progress in Afghanistan was of vital importance for regional peace and stability.

Both sides also agreed on regular consultations and cooperation on a bilateral and trilateral basis with the Transitional Islamic Government in Afghanistan in the task of reconstruction in Afghanistan, combating terrorism and drug trafficking as well as repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The two sides, taking note of the developments at the regional and global levels, emphasised the importance of dialogue among civilisations for constructive interaction and effective cooperation as well as peaceful settlement of disputes and promotion of tolerance and pluralism among civilisations.

The communique said that while stressing the importance of regional cooperation, they called for active cooperation among the regional countries within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO). They agreed that the ECO region possessed great potential for the development of the economies of the member-countries. They shared the view that ECO could play a valuable role in accelerating the progress and development of the entire region.

The two sides emphasised the importance of a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and India for economic development of the region. They called for the implementation of this project immediately after the completion of the feasibility studies.

Among the agreements signed during the visit included Bilateral Trade Agreement; Bilateral Agreement on Cooperation in Plant Protection and Quarantine; MoU on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and MoU of the 13th Session of the I.R. Iran-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission.

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