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Pakistan, Israel Hold Historic Talks
 Pakistan and Israel yesterday held historic talks in Istanbul. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, that his country had decided to âengage with Israelâ after years as one of its harshest critics over the Jewish stateâs occupation of Palestinian land. But President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said the move did not mean Pakistan recognized Israel. He reiterated Pakistanâs long-held stance that diplomatic ties could only be considered once a Palestinian state is established. The two ministers emerged upbeat from the meeting which was arranged after Turkey, which has close ties with both countries, played a mediating role to bring them together.
| A Paleostinian state will eventually be established. My guess is that by comparison it will make Pakland look stable and prosperous. |
In a joint press conference with Shalom, Kasuri welcomed the withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip, which he said constituted a turning point for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
| I guess so. They'll now have their own bit of land to rule, rather than govern, according to whatever principles they feel like applying. Of course, they were supposed to have something like that under the provisions of the Oslo Accords, but Yasser thought he was better at running revolutions than proto-states. As it turned out, he was good at neither. |
âPakistan has therefore decided to engage with Israel,â he told reporters, but did not elaborate on what sort of an engagement his country was planning.
| Likely because his domestic opposition will be hanging on every word... |
Shalom said the meeting heralded a new era in bilateral ties.
| Pretty much a statement of the obvious, since they were nonexistent before... |
âThis is a historic meeting,â the Israeli minister said. âWe see this meeting as the beginning of a new period, the beginning of open and useful mutual relations.â Israel was hoping to establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan, Shalom told a separate news conference later in the day, but acknowledged that they were not in the making soon. âI believe positive and full diplomatic ties will be established, but this will take time,â he said.
| "For one thing, we have to wait for Qazi to die off. We're expecting apoplexy when he hears about this..." |
Israel has diplomatic relations with only four Muslim countries â Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Mauritania, Shalom said. He said Israel had âsecretâ contacts with all Muslim countries, but Tel Aviv hoped others would follow the lead of Pakistan and bring these contacts into the open.
| Who knows? Maybe someday, far in the future, Arabians will be giving drink to the thisty in Zionist-produced paper cups. |
Posted by: Fred 2005-09-02 |
