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| Thursday, 18 December 2003 |
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Musharraf eager to join ASEAN security grouping ISLAMABAD, Wednesday (AFP) Pakistan is looking forward to joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) - Asia's top security grouping, President Pervez Musharraf was quoted saying. General Musharraf was speaking during a state banquet for his visiting Indonesian counterpart Megawati Sukarnoputri late Monday, official media said. Pakistan is lobbying fellow Muslim giant Indonesia to help it gain full dialogue partner status with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and enter the ARF, where arch-rival India has summit partner status. Pakistan "wishes to consolidate its excellent relations with the ASEAN," the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Musharraf as saying. "We believe that our close and active association with ASEAN processes would be mutually beneficial." Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda, who will hold the ASEAN rotating chair in 2004, told his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in a meeting that Jakarta would support Pakistan's bid. Wirayuda "reiterated his country's support to Pakistan's membership of the ASEAN Regional Forum," Kasuri said in a statement. Musharraf told Megawati there was a need to build synergies between Southeast Asia and South Asia "to develop a win-win situation for the Asian region as a whole." Megawati has told Musharraf that Indonesia and all other ASEAN countries "unanimously support Pakistan's admission" and would endeavour to make it happen in coming months. |
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