Isolated Israel hopeful after Pakistan talks
BEN LYNFIELD
IN JERUSALEM
ISRAEL and Pakistan's foreign ministers met in Istanbul yesterday for talks which could pave the way for full diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Silvan Shalom, the Israeli foreign minister, met his Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Kasuri, and spoke of his hope after the "historic" meeting that other Muslim nations would follow suit.
The diplomatic breakthrough took place following the withdrawal of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
However, Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, who faced a furious reaction from Islamic religious parties as well as criticism from the Palestinian Authority, played down the prospect of normalising relations with Israel.
In a joint press conference after the meeting, which was arranged by the Turkish government, Mr Kasuri praised Israel's pull-out, which he called a turning point towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. "Pakistan has therefore decided to engage with Israel," he said.
For almost six decades, Pakistan shunned contact with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Mr Shalom said he hoped that Morocco, Tunisia, Oman and Qatar, which had ties with the Jewish state before the Palestinian uprising in 2000, would now restore them.
There would be further meetings with the Pakistanis at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, Mr Shalom said.
"We would like there to be diplomatic relations at the end of the road. It has been decided that from now on the relations will be out in the open. The relations will be good," he said.
Israel has full diplomatic relations with only three Arab countries - Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania - and with a handful of Muslim majority states.
Mr Musharraf, speaking to reporters in Quetta, Pakistan, said the meeting was supported by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, though this was not backed up by the Palestinian information minister, Nabil Shaath.
Mr Musharraf said: "We cannot live in isolation. Forward looking countries perceive changes in advance. They formulate policies according to the changing world scenario."
He praised the Gaza withdrawal as a "positive step" but said the aim of the talks was to promote the Palestinian cause.
"This does not mean we are recognising Israel," he said.
"We will not recognise Israel unless the Palestinians get their homeland or there are signs of an accord in this direction."
Farzana Shaikh, a London specialist in south Asia politics, said Mr Musharraf's motives were to project an image of Pakistan as a modern, mature Muslim state and to boost relations with the United States.
She said: "Musharraf wants to project the right kind of image ahead of the General Assembly when terrorism will be on top of the agenda. He will face the question 'Are you still sponsoring terrorism or are you ready to join the international community as a mature nation?'
"There is real concern in Pakistan that US policy is becoming more pro-Indian."
In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, an alliance of six religious parties which leads the opposition in parliament pledged to stage nationwide protests today over the talks.
"We strongly condemn the meeting," the alliance's spokesman, Shahid Shamsi, said.
"This is a move which is against the interest of the Islamic nation and reflects the pro-US policies of the present government."
Mr Shaath, the Palestinian information minister, said: "We are worried about this because it's not a good time to start relations with Israel. The right time for this relationship with Israel is after Israel withdraws from all land occupied in 1967 and solves the refugee issue."
In a separate development, the Palestinian Authority agreed to let Israeli inspectors monitor goods entering Gaza to combat arms smuggling.
This article:
scotsman.com
Middle East conflict:
news.scotsman.com |
