Pakistani president calls for initiative to achieve peace in Mideast

Visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that it was the right time to launch an initiative to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Musharraf, who arrived here Monday night for a two-day working visit to Turkey, made the remarks at a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after their meeting in the Turkish capital.

Musharraf said that he was paying a visit to Turkey to discuss how to achieve peace in the Islamic world and the region, saying that it was the right time to resolve the Palestinian dispute and thus contribute to peace in the region.

On the strategy to achieve peace in the Middle East region, he said that it was important to bring together a group of countries which had similar views to create a common voice based on a consensus.

Regarding Pakistani-Turkish ties, Musharraf underlined the importance of deep-rooted relations between the two countries, saying that the two sides were eager to boost their economic relations.

He also thanked the Turkish government and people for their assistance to Pakistan after a devastating earthquake in 2005.

Shortly after his arrival on Monday night, Musharraf held talks with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The two leaders agreed to work together to contribute to the Middle East peace process.

Musharraf visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates last month as part of what Pakistan termed as the president's peace initiative in the Middle East.

Source: Xinhua