France, EU offer probe help
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

RAWALPINDI—France and the European Union on Wednesday offered Pakistan help in investigating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said. Kouchner, the first high-ranking foreign official to visit Pakistan since opposition leader Bhutto was killed at a campaign rally last week, met President Pervez Musharraf to offer the help of France and the 27-nation EU bloc.
Pakistani government officials have rejected calls for an international investigation into her killing but have left the door open for assistance from outside the country. “Today we proposed to President Musharraf to provide French or European experts,” Kouchner said after meeting the president in Rawalpindi, the garrison city where Bhutto was slain in a gun and suicide attack. “Mr Musharraf responded that the idea was interesting,” he said.
The minister also delivered a letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy which he said expressed his country’s solidarity with Pakistan in the wake of the “horrible crime.” He said the letter also underlined Sarkozy’s “support for what must be democratic efforts in the continuation of the election process as well as the fight against terrorism and extremism.”
Areporter who was present said Musharraf quickly read the letter and told Kouchner: “I totally agree with this.” The minister met officials from Bhutto’s party later in the day and placed flowers at the site where she was killed last Thursday. “We need certainly a sort of international cooperation with Pakistan in this inquiry,” Kouchner said as he headed to Rawalpindi airport to leave the country.
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner has said his government will provide every assistance if sought in connection with investigation into assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. He held out this assurance to a 4-member delegation of PPP, which met him in a local hotel here, Wednesday.
French foreign minister expressed profound grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto saying both government and people of France equally shared the grief of leaders and workers of PPP over the assassination of international leader. “We want fair and transparent elections in Pakistan and my visit is aimed at expressing solidarity with Pakistani leadership and people of Pakistan on this critical juncture of time”, he underscored.
PPP delegation comprised senator Anwar Begum, senator Latif Khosa, Qasim Zia and Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali. PPP delegation told French foreign minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated and its evidence were there. Despite this fact efforts are being made to complicate the case, delegation told. Therefore, we have demanded for seeking help from foreign experts to probe into the incident , they added.
“Despite this shock, PPP is going to polls although we had concrete evidence that polls would be rigged,” they told. PPP is the largest party of the country and it would eliminate dictatorship with the strength of people, they added. The murderers of Benazir Bhutto would be brought to justice, they remarked.