Musharraf may attend SAARC summit in India

Ahead of his trip to India on Tuesday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri on Monday night hinted that there is every likelyhood of President Pervez Musharraf visiting New Delhi to take part in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in April, reversing his earlier stand that prime minister Manmohan Singh should visit Islamabad first.

While refusing to give a direct answer to a question on whether there was a rethinking on Musharraf's part to not attend the SAARC summit, which prompted India to invite Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Kasuri told PTI in Islamabad that it is yet to be decided who should go to New Delhi to attend the meet.

"In our case either the president or prime minister can attend. That has been our practice and they have been doing so in the past. Whatever I said stands where it is and I am not going to draw any conclusions," he said while declining to say anything specific.

Kasuri's remark that "either of them" could attend the SAARC summit was significant because it was at Pakistan's insistence that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his last month's visit in Islamabad, in a last-minute change, extended the invitation to Aziz whereas New Delhi earlier wanted to invite Musharraf directly on the ground that he is an 'executive' president.

Kasuri had remarked just a day ahead of Mukherjee's visit that it was unlikely for Musharraf to attend SAARC summit in New Delhi as it was the turn of Dr Singh to come to Islamabad.

But subsequent media reports said Musharraf now reconsidered his stand as the SAARC platform offered a bigger canvas with leaders of the region besides Afghan President Hamid Karzai attending the summit, which would also provide an opportunity for meeting with Dr Singh.

Kasuri, who would be meeting the prime minister, said he also plans to discuss Dr Singh's own plans to visit Pakistan this year as an invitation was pending.

The Pakistani foreign minister also made a case that both the countries have "agreed" in "many areas" on a solution to the Kashmir issue through "private diplomacy."

"There are many areas where we have agreed and there are many areas (where) still agreement is needed. We have never made such progress, never before, never in the last 60 years compared to the last three years and when we do bridge that gap, we will tell the people on both sides. I hope that will not take too long. That is my hope," Kasuri said.

He declined to say whether the progress achieved was good enough to be called substantive for Musharraf and Dr Singh to meet as both the leaders in the past wanted progress to be achieved on Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek issues for a meeting.

On Kashmir, Kasuri said "We are discussing all the proposals which the president has made and the counter-proposals Indians have made. The tricky thing for both the governments is to work out what can be presented to our Parliaments and Cabinets," he said.

Kasuri, who would be arriving in New Delhi on Tuesday by a special plane, said he would be carrying some proposals with him to forward to India to liberalise the visa regime.

"I will be carrying some proposals with me, which I hope will result in both countries agreeing for a more liberal visa regime. I hope as a result of my visit, both sides may come nearer to each other's positions," he said.

The two sides will sign an agreement on reducing the risk from nuclear accidents, Kasuri said.

On Siachen, he said some progress has been made on the pullout of the troops. "When I go there, I will find out. They said they are considering (Pakistan's proposals). I hope when I go there will be some progress," he said.

Kasuri said during his visit, he will also meet Hurriyat leaders of both factions, including hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani who opposes Musharraf's initiatives to resolve Kashmir issue and the Indo-Pak peace process.

Asked what he would discuss with Geelani, he said, "The message I will carry to him is the same as the one that Islamabad has already given him; that the peace process is good, is good for Kashmiris, is good for Indians, good for
Pakistanis."

"If he has doubts, questions, I will try and clear those doubts. After all, he has been a very strong supporter of Pakistan in Kashmir. I want to convince him that it is in the interests of Pakistan, in the interests of Kashmiris, and therefore try to tell him that he throw his weight behind the peace process," Kasuri said.

About Geelani's plans to visit Pakistan, Kasuri said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has already said he was welcome.

He said the primary focus of his visit would be the Joint Commission meeting to be co-chaired by him and Mukherjee.

Kasuri said he planned to call on several political leaders, including those of the Bharatiya Janata Party, during his visit.

Deploring the Samjhauta Express bombing, Kasuri said no words are good enough to condemn such incidents. "It only tells you that there are people both in India and Pakistan who don't want the peace process. It is in the interests of both countries to find out who the culprits are."

He said he would discuss how to provide better security for travellers from Pakistan and India in both the countries.