Zardari for "determined efforts" to make Pak-India dialogue process
productive, result-oriented

By Shafek Koreshe

      TEHRAN, Aug 30 (APP):  President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday
said that Pakistan and India must make determined efforts and maintain
focus to steer the dialogue process in a productive and result-
oriented manner.
      "We have covered a lot of ground but we still have to go a
long way," President Zardari remarked during his meeting with
Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh here on the sidelines of
the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
      The President said that it was important to move beyond
reiteration of positions to more substantive results.
      He said that Pakistan was committed to pursuing the
process of dialogue and engagement with India.
      He said Pakistan was keenly looking forward to the visit of
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at an early date.
      Foreign Minister Hinna Rabbani Khar later described the meeting between the two leaders as "good."
      "There is an ample proof that the political leadership of the two
countries is committed to improving and normalizing ties with
each other," she told APP at the Conference Centre.
      Ms Khar said that Pakistan believed that it was the right approach
and the requirement of the times and emerging regional situation to
have better ties with all the countries, particularly those in the
region.
      "It is important that we are able to move past the challenges
of the past and move into a new era of cooperation and being able to
resolve our disputes," she said.
      The foreign secretaries of the two countries are meeting at
Islamabad in September to review the second round of dialogue
process that resumed after a gap of two years, following the Mumbai
attacks.
      Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Interior Minister Rehman
Malik, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Indian Foreign Minister
S M Krishna, Indian External Affairs Secretary, Indian National
Security Adviser and Pakistan's Ambassador to Iran Khalid Babar were
present during the meeting.
      It was the second meeting of President Zardari with Dr
Manmohan Singh in a year. They last met at New Delhi during
President Zardari's day-long private visit to India in April.
      The President recalled the meeting and said he was deeply
touched by the warm hospitality extended to him in New Delhi and
Ajmer Sharif.
      The President appreciated the Indian Prime Minister's vision for
a peaceful and prosperous South Asia.
      The President said Pakistan desired to have friendly,
cooperative and good neighbourly relations with India, as it had a
deep interest in promoting peace and stability in the region.
      President Zardari said the South Asian region had enormous
potential and the cooperation between the two countries was imperative
to exploit this potential.
      The two leaders also noted the substantive improvement in
their bilateral, economic and trade relations.
      The President expressed satisfaction at the completion of
the second round of the resumed dialogue process, that would
culminate with the foreign ministers meeting in Islamabad in
September.