The Hindu : 'India blocked Pak. entry into ARF'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 21, 2003

International

International

'India blocked Pak. entry into ARF'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD June 20. Islamabad has accused New Delhi of blocking its entry into the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) at the meeting held at Phnom Penh on June 18.

In yet another carefully-drafted statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office maintained that ``in view of the recent positive initiatives taken by Pakistan and India to normalise their relations, Pakistan along with other ARF Members had hoped that India would play a constructive and responsible role rather than impede Pakistan's membership of the Forum''.

A spokesman of the Pakistan Foreign Office said that Pakistan was grateful to the 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for their agreement to accept it as a participant in the ARF. He regretted that the ARF could not admit Pakistan as a member in its 10th meeting at Phnom Penh because of India's strong opposition to Pakistan's candidature.

``This is despite the fact that Pakistan's entry into the Forum enjoys overwhelming support by ARF members,'' he said. Though the spokesman did not say it in so many words, the statement clearly implied that it was New Delhi, which was the main stumbling block to its entry into ASEAN Regional Forum.

It is for the third time in the recent days that Pakistan has complained against some of the statements of Indian leaders and officials and said that they went against the spirit of the hand of friendship extended by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. In the last statement, Islamabad had said that such statements were `uncalled for and unhelpful' in carrying forward the peace process.

The official observed that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, in their earlier meeting on 16 June, had welcomed the recent positive developments in the relations between India and Pakistan, which they felt were an encouraging steps towards a fully normalised relationship between the two sides.

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