International   

Pak. reiterates stand

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD MARCH 13. Sticking to its position, Pakistan has reiterated its opposition to war against Iraq and wants the U.K. and the U.S. to drop their guns and join the rest of the world for a peaceful resolution of Iraq crisis. In what appears to be a calculated move to counter reports in the western press that Pakistan has agreed to side with the U.K.-U.S. second resolution on Iraq, the Foreign Office chose to publicise details of seven telephone calls received by the Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, from different parts of the globe.

Among those who called Mr. Kasuri was the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin. The two Ministers discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments with regard to the Iraqi crisis.Mr. Kasuri supported the disarmament of Iraq in a peaceful way through inspections.

The Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, held a lengthy telephone conversation on Wednesday with Mr. Kasuri. Mr. Kasuri briefed him on the efforts made by Pakistan to promote a peaceful resolution of the crisis. The two agreed on the need to ensure the territorial integrity of Iraq. The Foreign Minister of Canada, Bill Graham, also telephoned Mr. Kasuri.The two supported a peaceful solution of the crisis in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• France rejects U.K. plan
• U.S. receptive to British proposal
• U.K. bracing for war
• China keeps U.S. guessing on draft
• Malaysia orders probe into 'mistreatment' of Indians
• Pak. reiterates stand
• Gorbachev's advice to Saddam
• Jia Qinglin to head political panel
• Serbia faces power vacuum
• Northern Bangladesh, a haven for militants
• U.S. not likely to press for vote
• Colombo sees no stalling of talks
• ISI denies reports on imminent arrest of Osama
• Pak. refutes Sinha's charge

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu