Pakistani president arrives for talks

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf today arrived in Britain for a visit which will include talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Pakistani leader flew into London from Washington, where he had discussions over the weekend with US President George Bush.

In their talks tomorrow, Mr Blair and President Musharraf will discuss international terrorism, trade and the situation in Pakistan’s neighbour, Afghanistan, as well as Kashmir, the territory Pakistan disputes with India.

The two leaders, who will be joined by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, are also likely to address the Middle East peace process.

On Tuesday, President Musharraf will deliver a keynote speech in London, before travelling to Manchester to meet community leaders there.

Following his talks with President Bush on Saturday, President Musharraf said he had succeeded in securing a strong commitment from President Bush that the United States would take a more active role in the Middle East peace process.

“I told him this would be a priority of my administration,” President Bush confirmed.

President Bush also praised Pakistan for its co-operation in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, despite the inability of US and Pakistani troops to find the al Qaida leader.

And he thanked the Pakistani leader for his help in shutting down a trafficking network led by A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani scientist implicated in selling nuclear secrets to Libya, North Korea, Iran and possibly other countries.

President Bush did raise one area of concern – President Musharraf’s backtracking on a pledge to relinquish his military post by the year’s end.

The general seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 but had raised hopes in Washington that he was leading his country toward democracy.