|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Saturday, 13 December 2003 |
 |
|
 |
World | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Megawati, Musharraf to join hands fighting terror and drugs ISLAMABAD, Friday (AFP) Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri heads to Pakistan this weekend for a visit which will see the world's two largest Muslim nations, both battling Islamic extremism, forge pacts to fight terrorism and drug-trafficking and to foster industrial cooperation. Megawati arrives Sunday for the first visit by an Indonesian leader to the 56-year old Islamic republic in three years. Her predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid visited in June 2000, three months after Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf visited Indonesia fresh from seizing power in the October 1999 coup. She will hold talks with General Musharraf on arrival and later meet Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali, officials said. "Consultations are under way for MOUs (memorandums of understanding) on counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics," foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan told AFP. A joint ministerial commission on bilateral relations is also likely to be signed, Khan said. The agenda of talks was "free-flowing" covering bilateral relations, Pakistan's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and regional and international issues. "These include the situation in South Asia, Afghanistan and Iraq. They will discuss and review the situation in Iraq," Khan said. Pakistan, which like Indonesia opposed the war in Iraq, is under pressure from the US to contribute troops to a Muslim peacekeeping force in Iraq. High on Islamabad's agenda is convincing Indonesia to help raise its profile in ASEAN. "Indonesia is a very active member of ASEAN. Pakistan is a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN, we want this relationship to be upgraded to full dialogue partnership," Khan said. Embarking on joint industrial projects was also a key priority. "The driving force between Indonesia and Pakistan is economic. We're trying to expand economic and commercial relations. We are also exploring the possibility of some joint industrial ventures," Khan said. "We've had industrial cooperation in the past. Those efforts need to be upgraded, we want to take this relationship to a higher plane." On Megawati's schedule is a visit to an industrial site in Taxila, an ancient town surrounded by light industry 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) west of Islamabad. Analysts said Megawati's visit was significant in several dimensions: in terms of Musharraf's campaign for moderate Islam, Megawati's bid to retain the presidency in 2004 polls, and the fight against terrorism. "One important thing is the fact that the two governments are collaborating over the issue of terrorism," political commentator Nasim Zehra said. Pakistan held in custody for three months six Indonesian terror suspects linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network, only deporting them three days ahead of Megawati's arrival. Described by Pakistani investigators as a "JI sleeper cell," the six were arrested from an Islamic school in Karachi. Top JI terror suspect Hambali's brother Rusman Gunawan was among them. Zehra also pointed to Musharraf's campaign to reform the OIC. "President Musharraf has taken the initiative in the Organisation of Islamic Conference talking about reform of the organisation, and Megawati represents a major Muslim country and she has very actively supported Musharraf's call for reform within the OIC." |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
