Kashmir solution key for peace in region: President
By Our Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan wants result oriented talks with India over Kashmir issue and durable peace in the region would be a mere dream without solution of the issue, said President Gen Pervez Musharraf. He said this while talking to the Belgium Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht who called on his here on Thursday.
The President informed the Foreign Minister of Belgium that Pakistan had resumed composite dialogue with India on all outstanding issues including Kashmir because durable peace could not be maintained in the region without resolution of the dispute, official sources said.
About war against terrorism, the President said, “ we are fighting the war in our supreme national interest”. He said that Pakistan would never tolerate terrorism and would chase the elements that wanted to disturb peace of the country.
The sources said that the matter of civil nuclear technology also came under discussion. President Musharraf told Karel Gucht, “Pakistan is rapidly developing country and in this situation we need civil nuclear technology to meet our energy needs and Pakistan will not tolerate discrimination in this regard”.
The sources said that the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in Defence, Economy, Trade and other sectors. Karel Gucht hailed Musharraf’s vision of enlightened moderation. He said Belgium wanted long term relations with Pakistan in all spheres. President Musharraf said that Pakistan wanted close ties with the European Union including Belgium and access to its markets.
President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday said Pakistan looked forward to closer ties with Belgium in multi-faceted areas and expressed desire for more market access for Pakistani products.
Talking to Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht he said Pakistan looked forward to enhanced relations with Belgium, the need for more market access in Belgium and deepening of the economic content of the relationship.
The Belgian Foreign Minister during the call on informed the President about his discussions at various levels since his arrival in Pakistan.
He said these focused on debt swap agreement, cooperation in energy sector involving clean use of coal, food and fruit processing and the idea of a roundtable meeting between the concerned bodies of the two sides for developing research and higher learning as well as technical training.
Foreign Minister De Gucht expressed his government’s interest in sending missions to Pakistan for further deliberation on these proposals. The President welcomed the Belgian interest and underlined that cooperation in these areas was of mutual benefit.
The President recalled his recent visit to Belgium and his extensive interaction in Brussels both with the Belgian Prime Minister and the leadership and politicians of the European Union. While underscoring that the problems of poverty and unemployment can be addressed by capacity building he said that economic development, enhancing of technical know-how and education were important factors in country’s development strategy.
He elaborated on the on going projects of Higher Education Commission and National Vocational and Technical Education Commission where with the support of some nine countries knowledge and skill based programmes were being evolved inside Pakistan. In the context of economic strategy the President referred to the agro-based industrial potential of Pakistan in such areas as food and fruit processing and dairy products.