FM briefs French, British special envoys on govt counter-terrorism efforts.

ISLAMABAD, April 24, 2009 (Balochistan Times) -- Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday separately received Special Representative of France and Britain for Afghanistan and Pakistan and briefed them on the governments counter-terrorism efforts. The overall regional situation also came under discussion with Pierre Lellouche of France and Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles of Britain. The Foreign Minister apprised the envoys of the efforts being made by the government towards building a national consensus on fighting extremism and terrorism in the country through a comprehensive national strategy. He informed them of the progress being made in this regard in the Parliament, which is currently debating the report and recommendations prepared by the All Parties Parliamentary Committee on National Security. The Foreign Minister also briefed the special representatives in detail about the expansion of relations and cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan during the last one year. He said it was necessary for the two countries to continue strengthening the mutual trust and confidence as their destinies are inter-linked. The Foreign Minister underlined the need for the international community to understand the complexities of the issues involved, saying that the challenges confronting the region could only be addressed through a holistic approach. The Foreign Minister thanked France and Britain for their support to Pakistan at the recently-held meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan in Tokyo. Mr. Lellouche conveyed French President Nicolas Sarkozys strong support to the democratic Government of Pakistan in its efforts against terrorism and those aimed at strengthening civilian and democratic institutions. He said France was fully aware of the problems confronting the region and was looking forward to contributing effectively to their resolution. Sir Sherard said that Pakistan was a proud Muslim democracy and Britain attaches immense importance to its relations with Pakistan and will continue supporting the process of building a strong long-term partnership between the two countries. The issue of ten Pakistani students who were arrested in the UK on April 8 but no incriminating evidence against whom has been found also came up in the meeting with Sir Sherard. The Foreign Minister contended, inter alia, that the students be allowed to stay in Britain to complete their studies.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)