Trilateral summit to discuss security

Islamabad: A trilateral summit of Pakistan‚ Iran and Afghanistan will be held next week in Islamabad to discuss regional security, the Foreign Office spokesman announced yesterday.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari‚ Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will discuss a host of issues pertaining to regional peace‚ security and stability, the spokesman, Abdul Basit told a media briefing.

He said it was important for the three sides to get together and discuss issues faced by the region, including transnational organised crime. Responding to a question about the US pressure on Islamabad to pull out of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project‚ the spokesman said there was no change in "our policy."

"Pakistan is committed to the completion of the gas pipeline project by 2014. It is important for our economy as it will help meet the energy deficit," he said.

Interest

Basit said during the visit of Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Moscow this week Russia expressed an interest in financing different energy projects including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. He said Pakistan would welcome Russia's or any other country's investment in the important Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

When asked about the US-Taliban talks in Qatar‚ Abdul Basit said Pakistan had been kept informed of these talks through diplomatic channels. He said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's trip to Qatar was a bilateral visit aimed at strengthening relationships.