Pakistan terms summit with Afghanistan cordial

Pakistan Saturday said that the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the sideline of the regional summit in the Maldives was held in a cordial atmosphere and provided a good opportunity for a frank and in-depth exchange of views. The two leaders had been in the Maldives to attend the meeting of the heads of governments of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani recounted Pakistan's consistent efforts to have the best of relations with Afghanistan and several initiatives having been taken in this regard. On matters relating to reconciliation and peace, the prime minister said that it was for Afghanistan to specify and lead the process. "Professor Rabbani's tragic assassination constituted a setback to the process. Professor Rabbani was highly respected and a good friend of Pakistan," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said President Karzai affirmed the importance that Afghanistan attached to its relations with Pakistan."Both sides agreed that the decisions reached at the recent Istanbul Trilateral Summit should be implemented." The Spokesperson added that Pakistan had always demonstrated goodwill towards Afghanistan and believed that reinvigoration of a cooperative approach was important. "The Maldives bilateral meeting was a step in that direction," said the spokesperson.