Pak, Indonesia sign accords to boost ties
By Our Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—President General Pervez Musharraf and his Indonesia counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Thursday agreed to step up cooperation in the counter-terror campaign, stressing that both are victims of the menace and need to address it. “We are both victims of terrorism, therefore we need to fight the menace together through increased intelligencecooperation,” declared President Musharraf after talks between the two sides. Pakistan and Indonesia also agreed on encouraging their private sectors for forging strong economic ties at the talks and later also inked a framework agreement for comprehensive economic cooperation.
The two leaders also oversaw signing of a letter of intent to increase bilateral cooperation in fighting off terror, which they described as important in the context of increasing bilateral cooperation. President Yudhoyono paid tributes to President Musharraf for his pivotal efforts in the fight against terror and said his vision of enlightened moderation has vital significance vis-a-vis improving the lot of the Muslim world and addressing extremism in the long-term perspective. “We shall share information and intelligence and work jointly in fighting terror,” the visiting leader stated. Referring to the forthcoming OIC Summit in Makkah, President Musharraf expressed the hope that the leaders of the Muslim world would adopt the proposals for reform of the organization in the light of his concept of enlightened moderation.
“I hope proposals of the Group of the Eminent Persons would be accepted to make OIC a vehicle for socio-economic development of the Muslim world,” he said. President Musharraf expressed the hope that Pakistan and Indonesia would be able to make significant joint efforts for turning the Organization of Islamic Conference into a vibrant voice of the Muslim world. The two leaders also discussed the Middle East peace process and exchanged views on how they could play a positive role for establishment an independent Palestinian state and a fair settlement of the dispute. President Musharraf and the visiting leader saw vast scope for enhancing the bilateral ties by encouraging their respective business communities for greater interaction.
“We are resolved to explore opportunities for investment, trade, and joint ventures,” President Musharraf said. He underlined Pakistan’s strategic location to serve as corridor for trade and energy among regions including the South Asia, Central Asia and the Gulf countries. “Pakistan has an investor-friendly environment, and its recent robust growth has increased gap between demand and supply and increase opportunities for rewarding investment,” he said. The Indonesian President expressed his country’s solidarity with the President in he wake of last month’s earthquake and said Jakarta would assist Pakistan in dealing with its aftermath in all possible ways.
Yudhoyono recalled Pakistan’s immediate assistance to Indonesia following last year’s Tsunami and thanked President Musharraf for helping his country in the hour of trial. President Musharraf thanked Indonesian leader for Jakarta’s support to Pakistan in gaining membership of ASEAN regional forum and looked forward to its continued support in becoming full dialogue partner of Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “We have historic ties based on bonds of common faith- I am sure that our economic ties will be further cemented through increased interaction between the private sectors,” he said. He said both countries attach a great importance to diversifying economic cooperation and discussed ways and means to achieve at one-on-one meeting as well as the formal talks between the two sides.
The joint ministerial commission of the tow counters would focus on augmenting level of trade and economic cooperation, he said. “Pakistan holds out tremendous investment prospects for Indonesian entrepreneurs-It should not be viewed as a stand alone destination but also seen in its unique strategic perspective as a hub of trade between major regions”. On major international issues, he said, the two sides had commonality of views. Responding to a question, he said Pakistan would encourage more Indonesian students to study at its universities but the two countries would also share information to curb any students having links with terrorism. The two leaders also discussed cooperation in the field of defence training and production. President Musharraf expressed gratitude to the Indonesian leader for extending assistance ot Pakistan in the wake of last month’s earthquake at a time when it is dealing with the aftermath of last year’s Tsunami.