Musharraf in Beirut: Says Uzbek, Kyrgyzstan visit to boost Ties
By M D Malik - Pakistan Times Federal Bureau Chief

BEIRUT (Lebanon): President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday laid a floral wreath at the grave of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and offered Fateha.

The five times Prime Minister of Lebanon was killed last month in a car bomb blast.

The President later left for a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Earlier, President General Pervez Musharraf visited the residence of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and condoled his death with the members of his family.

The President offered Fateha for the departed soul and expressed deep sense of grief and sorrow over the assassination of the former Lebanese leader.

President Musharraf described Hariri as his personal friend and a visionary personality. He described his death as a loss for Lebanon, Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah.

Arrival

On arrival at the Beirut Airport, the President and Begum Sehba Musharraf were received by Saad al Hariri — the son of late Rafik Hariri — senior officials of the Lebanese foreign ministry and the Pakistani ambassador.

In a brief interaction with the media onboard his plane, President Musharraf said late Rafik Hariri had a versatile personality who contributed greatly to the development of Beirut.

“In diplomacy, personal friendships contribute a lot and no doubt Hariri was a great friend and his death is a personal loss,” Musharraf said.

He said the late Lebanese leader also rendered great humanitarian services.

President’s entourage includes Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Law Minister Wasi Zafar, Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi, Minister of State for Information Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Senator Bibi Yasmeen Shah and Members National Assembly Sheikh Waqas and Ahmed Riaz Maneka.

Visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan

Talking to reporters at Chaklala Airbase before his departure to Bairut on his way to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan for a four-day visit, President Musharraf said his visit aimed at boosting diplomatic, political and economic relations with these countries.

This is President Musharraf’s first visit to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

He said both Pakistan and Uzbekistan had been victims of terrorism and there were many Uzbek nationals in the country’s tribal region. There would be discussion on intelligence cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, he added.

On bilateral ties with the two Central Asian states, President said he had been to other regional countries but this was his first visit to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. “We have a lot of mutuality and complimentarity of interests like in the energy sector specially and trade,” he said.

“They (Central Asian states) are looking for trade with the outside world and the outlet is through Pakistan,” he said and added that visit would contribute towards enhancing these relationships between Pakistan and the two states.●