Pakistan takes first major step for ME peace
Kasuri meets Israeli counterpart in Istanbul
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Thursday formally announced its first official contact with Israel, but said its position on the Middle East crisis remained unchanged that calls for an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.
“Our gesture should demonstrate to Israel that the Islamic world will respond positively if it is ready to accept the imperatives of peace by respecting the fundamental right of the Palestinians to live in freedom and peace in their own homeland,” Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri said in a statement made to the press in Istanbul after meeting his Israeli counterpart.
Foreign Secretary Riaz Ahmed Khan later at a press briefing in Islamabad said the meeting between Kasuri and the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom “does not imply recognition of Israel by Pakistan”.
He said Pakistan consulted a number of Muslim leaders before the meeting in Turkey.
“President Pervez Musharraf informed the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Palestinian President Mehmud Abbas about the proposed meeting who welcomed the step as a “helpful initiative”.
He said Pakistan also consulted with the Muslim countries which are close to Israel or have a stake in the Middle East peace initiative.
“We believe this meeting will provide an impetus to the peace process by encouraging Israel to appreciate that reasonableness on its part in respecting the aspirations of the Palestinian people will draw positive responses from the Islamic world”.
Denying any pressure, he said the initiative was consistent with the important role Pakistan continued to play in the Islamic world for peace and security and in the interest of promoting the settlement of long standing issues that continue to torment Islamic societies.
He said the decision on the meeting came after the Israeli pullout from Gaza and hoped that Tel Aviv will vacate all territories occupied in 1967.
The Foreign Secretary when asked whether the parliament or the political parties were taken into confidence, said the parliament can discuss any issue they like, but stressed that there has

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