Pakistan supports Lanka peace efforts

Visiting Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf yesterday declared that he would fully support Sri Lanka's peace efforts and that his country was prepared to provide any moral, diplomatic and material support to it.

Musharraf, before opening talks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was speaking to a select group of editors and senior journalists. He said: "Pakistan is with Sri Lanka all the way," and is hopeful that normalcy and permanent peace would be a reality soon.

The visiting president declared that while political and diplomatic ties between the two countries were firm, there was a common wish to expand socio-economic cooperation, for which three new agreements were signed.

During talks, Wickremesinghe briefed the Pakistani leader on the current status of the peace process aimed at ending the ethnic conflict.

Musharraf reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and to the restoration of lasting peace through a negotiated settlement that meets the aspirations of all segments of Sri Lankan Society, a Foreign Ministry statement on the talks said.

Musharraf also said close military ties between the two countries would continue.

Sri Lanka signed a trade deal with Pakistan yesterday strengthening economic ties with the country.

Officials said the deal would help the island's feeble economy, struggling to right itself after decades of civil war.

"It will give access to the strength of our exporters into Pakistan, and the exporters of Pakistan into Sri Lanka without harming any of our industries," said Commerce Minister Ravi Karunanayake.

"The Framework Treaty on the Free-Trade Agreement... will provide an important boost to bilateral trade and economic cooperation", a Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry statement said.

Musharraf said that besides the new agreements on tourism and archaeology, science, culture, technology and media; and free trade, he believed there was still more potential for trade and investments on a mutual basis and he hoped these would be explored with the focus on a dynamic private sector role.

Musharraf, who is accompanied by 10 top Pakistani businessmen, said he hoped Sri Lankan entrepreneurs would work out major deals with them and make the private sector the driving force for growth, with the state playing a facilitatory role.

Commercial air flights between Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been disrupted since the Kashmir crisis flared up in May and Colombo has been pressing for a revival of those flights. President Musharraf said Pakistan also wanted direct flights to resume soon, but a diplomatic problem with India had to be sorted out before that.

As a five-star general, he paid glowing tributes to Sri Lanka's armed forces for the manner in which they conducted themselves during a traumatic 20-year war. He said whatever Pakistan had or produced in military terms would be available to Sri Lanka also. But the broad offer made no mention of any nuclear capability.

Later in the evening, Musharraf left for China.