Appearing from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad & Quetta

Sunday, January 17, 2010, Muharram 30, 1431

Tripartite Ministerial Summit
Joint declaration calls regional Afghan solution
Qureshi, Muttaki, Spanta address press conference; Pak, Iran, Afghanistan to strengthen economic, security ties

Tanvir Siddiqi

Islamabad—Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have signed a Joint Islamabad Declaration envisaging road map for future interaction in different fields.

The document was signed by them following trilateral meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Muttaki and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Rangeen Dadfar Spanta here on Saturday which called for a regional rather than foreign solution to the Afghan conflict.

Later addressing a joint news conference, the Foreign Ministers said the Interior Ministers of the three countries would meet in Islamabad for consultations; Finance and Economic Affairs Ministers would have a meeting in Kabul and Security and Intelligence chiefs will hold consultations in Tehran.

It was also decided that the next trilateral summit will take place in Islamabad in near future and dates would be finalized through diplomatic channels.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said they have agreed that a regional meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and its immediate six neighbours will also be held in near future. Tehran has offered to host the moot.

He said they have also agreed to look into the possibilities of evolving regional approach to the some of the challenges facing the region including illicit weapons, drug money and financing of militancy through narco-money.

Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said they discussed issues relating to economic cooperation, regional connectivity and a road map for enhanced cooperation to consolidate ties between the three countries.

He said the meeting agreed to support the national agenda announced by President Hamid Karzai in his inaugural address.

He said the meeting was of the view that Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan are three most important neighbours for the purposes of achieving the objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. We also recognized that there are some regional and international events about to take place in the weeks ahead.

Responding to a question he said the three countries have commanlity of views on most of the issues to be taken up by the forthcoming moots especially the one in London on Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Rangeen Dadfar categorically stated that his country will not allow its territory to be used against Pakistan. He, however, was of the view that there was need to take Afghanistan out of the tension between its bigger neighbours.

He said terrorism and extremism is a regional problem with social, political and ideological roots.

The Afghan Foreign Minister expressed the confidence that the trilateral consultative process would help eliminate the threat facing the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucheh Muttaki said there is regional problem and solution should also be found in the region.

He said this trilateral process is not a move against any other initiative but an effort to coordinate our position to address the challenges facing the region. He expressed the confidence that it would yield positive results in weeks and months to come.

To a question he hoped that a regional framework can be established with the support of the important international players who believe for the peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and in the region.He stressed the need for effective cooperation in communication and intelligence sharing.

Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a questioner that excellent progress has been made in the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

To a question he said there are some negative implications of the new Afghan policy of the United States and we are cognizant of this fact.
 

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