Musharraf visits CENTCOM: 'Pakistan, India composite dialogue to go ahead'
By Mumtaz Hamid Rao - Pakistan Times Editor & Special Correspondent

TAMPA: President General Pervez Musharraf visited the headquarters of the US Central Command, where he received a briefing about the CENTCOM.

Commander CENTCOM Gen John Abizaid briefed the President about the command’s operations, which is one of the five geographically defined unified commands within the department of defense.

Earlier, Gen. Abizaid warmly welcomed the President upon arrival at the CENTCOM headquarters. President Musharraf is visiting CENTCOM at the invitation of Gen. Abizaid.

Meanwhile, President General Pervez Musharraf has said that both India and Pakistan are committed to take the composite dialogue process advance.

It is however an early stage to make the progress public, President Musharraf told Geo Television in an interview telecast Monday.

He said the process is moving forward and whenever there would be a concrete and solid advancement, it would be made public.

There are some confidentialities regarding the view-point of both the parties he said adding “the discussion is going on and there is no blockage”.

He said the Indian foreign Minister will visit Pakistan and there will be more discussion during his visit.

The President said that he has invited Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan to which the later has accepted adding all these moves are focused to keep the dialogue process moving towards its final destination.

Responding to a question regarding the impact of his address to World Jewish Council the President said, “in my opinion it is very positive.”

It is extremely positive here in the Jewish community the President said adding he also has the information that there are very positive effects of this development in Israel.

About the impact of this move in Pakistan the President said earlier when Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri met his Israeli counterpart and when his schedule to address the Jewish Conference was announced, the feed-back was very positive.

“I expect the similar response after addressing the Jewish Conference”, he added.

The President said that, this approach would yield very positive results in favour of Pakistan and the just cause of Palestinians. He said the government and people of Pakistan bear emotional and sentimental attachment with the people of Palestine.

Pakistan being an important member of the Islamic world is bound to play its due role for the solution of Palestine issue adding “that is what we are doing”.

He said there do come the floating opportunities for taking decisions and Pakistan is taking right decisions at right time.

To a question the President said, the regional situation vis-a-vis Indo-Pak relations also came under discussion during his meeting with US President George W.Bush.

He said the US President was asked to use his influence to move the composite dialogue process advance so that both the countries could bilaterally settle their disputes.

The US President has ensured that he was supportive of composite dialogue and will play his role to facilitate the forward movement of process, the President said.

Asked how he would like to be remembered by the people of Pakistan the President said, “my priority is Pakistan”.

“I want to see a respectable, internally stable, economically strong Pakistan”, the President said adding where the problems of poverty, unemployment, education and health are addressed. “These are my objectives to which I would like to achieve and be remembered by the people of Pakistan”, the President wished.

TV Interview

Earlier, President General Pervez Musharraf said that the composite dialogue process between Pakistan and India is moving forward.

"The process is moving forward and whenever there would be a concrete and solid advancement, it would be made public," Musharraf said in a television interview. "The discussion is going on and there is no blockage," he added.

The President noted Indian foreign minister will visit Pakistan and that there will be more discussion during his visit.

He said he has invited Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan and Singh has accepted the invitation. "All these moves are focused to keep the dialogue process moving towards its final destination," Musharraf said.

He pointed out that during his meeting with US President George W.Bush on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week, Bush was asked to use his influence to move the composite dialogue process advance so that Pakistan and India could bilaterally settle their disputes.

Bush has ensured that he is supportive of the composite dialogue and will play his role to facilitate the forward movement of the process, the President said.

Pakistan and India began the composite dialogue in early 2004 to settle all their outstanding issues including Kashmir. Their foreign ministers will meet in Islamabad early October to review the progress of the second round of dialogue and decide when to start the next round of talks.

Musharraf leaves for Pakistan after US tour

Meanwhile, President Gen Pervez Musharraf, after attending UN general assembly meeting and completing one-week US tour, flew for home on late Monday night.

He returned to New York on Monday noon after visiting Central Command Quarter, Florida. Before leaving for Pakistan, he stayed at a hotel near Kennedy Airport for four hours.

During his US tour, besides addressing UN General Assembly meeting and Jewish Congress, he met with several countries head including US President Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.●