.:: SAMAA - Zardari, Karzai agree to boost cooperation

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai agreed to boost cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan om Wednesday.

Both leaders held wide-ranging talks focussing on jointly fighting terrorism, strengthening bilateral ties and ways to address regional issues related to peace and security.

President Karzai who flew in here late afternoon on a two-day visit arrived at the Aiwan-e-Sadr and met President Zardari soon after his arrival. The two leaders who have frequently met in the past have expressed the resolve to remove misunderstandings of the past and to jointly move forward in the fight against militancy.

During the exclusive and delegation level talks President Zardari stressed for enhanced interaction between the two countries to better cope with the issues of terrorism and extremism.

He said the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan were of great importance and termed terrorism as a common challenge to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan was determined to fight militancy to the end, which was a long drawn battle and there were no quick solutions to this problem.

During the delegation level talks President Zardari was assisted by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Secretary General to the President Salman Farooqi and Spokesman to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar.

President Karzai was aided by Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rasoul, National Security Advisor, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Education Minister, Dr. Farooq Wardak and Afghan Charge d’ Affaires, Majnoon Gulab.

President Zardari said Pakistan believes that military action alone was not a solution to the problem.

He stressed the need for greater economic cooperation, adding the government was determined to correct the past mistakes to carve out a better future for posterity.

Afghan President Karzai urged for a partnership which allows realization of the full potential of human and natural resources and want greater connectivity, more trade and economic cooperation.

He called for new development projects and investments in the two countries driven by energy corridors in the region.

Karzai thanked for Pakistan’s support and efforts for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

President Zardari pointed that Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Afghanistan was US$ 1.4 billion in 2008 and there was a vast economic potential and great opportunities for cooperation.

He said the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement was under negotiations and hoped it would further boost economic interaction.

President Zardari also pointed to the over 3 million Afghan refugees that were still in Pakistan and said an early restoration of peace and normalcy in Afghanistan will enable the return of these refugees to their motherland.

The two sides focused on the need for greater harmony between the two countries. SAMAA