EU reiterates that Pak should not be isolated

EU reiterates that Pak should not be isolated
AGENCE PRESSE FRANCE

ISLAMABAD, NOV 21: A European Union (EU) Troika mission was on Tuesday wrapping up two days of talks with Pakistani leaders on the military government's progress towards democracy. The mission, representing France, Sweden and the European Commission (EC), arrived early on Monday and met military ruler General Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar later in the day. They also met senior political figures from the parliament which was suspended when Musharraf toppled Prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in October last year.

Their arrival coincided with a display of Pakistani politics at work, as hundreds of stick-wielding members of Sharif's former ruling party stormed its headquarters here to prevent a committee meeting. Some top members of the Pakistan Muslim League said they were unable to meet the EU delegates as they were busy dealing with the crisis within the party, which is bitterly divided between pro- and anti-Sharif camps.

An official statement said Musharraf briefed the Europeans about his ambitious programme of reforms designed to return the country to "genuine democracy" by October, 2002, in line with a Supreme court order. "The importance of Pakistan-EU relations and their further enhancement were underlined. The visit of the EU troika delegation was a step in that direction," it said.

"The delegation reiterated the EU's desire to remain engaged with Pakistan and underlined that the European Union had not imposed any sanctions on Pakistan."

Musharraf has vowed to stamp out corruption and revive the economy before stepping aside for a newly elected Prime minister. A phased programme of district level elections is due to begin next month under the regime's devolution plan.

"The EU is of the opinion that Pakistan should not be isolated," EC councillor in Pakistan, Pedro Martinez, said on Monday. "We want to convey our concerns and our wish to see a sustainable and healthy form of democracy and at the same time engage Pakistan into dialogue."

The mission is being led by Dominique Girard, Assistant Secretary for Asia and Oceania at the French foreign ministry, on behalf of the French presidency of the European Union. Other delegates include Oliver Chambard, the French Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia, Anna Linstedt, Sweden's Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia, as well as EC representatives Jonathan Scheele and Heino Mariu.

Pakistani officials said the troika would meet on Tuesday with Interior Minister Moeenuddin Haider and Local Government Minister Omar Asghar. They were also due to meet the country representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, diplomats said.

Pakistan has signed a letter of intent with the IMF over a standby facility to save it from defaulting on its more than $37 billion in foreign debt. The EU absorbs Pakistani exports worth some 2.2 billion euros (1.85 billion dollars), with the balance of trade in favour of Pakistan by 575 million euros.